Forever and for Always
by Arashi-No-Shadow
Summary: What if Draco wasn't such a git, what if he was Hermione's friend from the beginning? Slytherin!Hermione


**Title- Forever and for Always**

**Rating- M**

**Pairing- Dramione**

**Summary-** **What if Draco wasn't such a git? What if he and Hermione were friends from the beginning?**

**A/N-** **Slytherin!Hermione. By the way, I changed this so that the triwizard tournament is in their sixth year instead of their fourth year. Uhh... Also I chose Flint because in the second movie, I liked his voice when he said 'easy Wood I've got a note' and 'a gift from Draco's father.'... XD... don't kill me yet. Oh and there is no war.  
**-

"Hey Hermione!"

"Draco!" she gasped, throwing her arms around her best friend. They were on platform nine and three quarters, waiting to get on the train. "I can't believe it's been two months since I last saw you."

"I know. It feels like so long." Draco replied with a smile.

"Wow, you look different." she noted, looking him over. He was definitely taller, and his hair wasn't slicked back any more, he let it hang in his eyes. "You look good."

"Thanks. So do you." he replied as they climbed onto the train and went all the way back to the Slytherin compartments. Hermione had dyed her hair, so it was a darker brown than before, and it had brighter streaks in it.

She laughed. "So where do you want to sit?" she questioned.

"How about here?" he questioned, gesturing at an empty compartment. They went inside and he slid the door closed, locking it behind himself.

"Wow, so what did you do this summer?"

"I stayed at the manor." he replied. "My mother wants me to invite you over for the holidays."

"My mother wants me to invite you over for the holidays." she laughed.

"We'll split them then, a week at your place and a week at mine." he said.

"agreed." she said, holding out her hand. He shook it, but for some reason the touch lingered just a little longer than it should have.

Hermione cleared her throat." So any plans in store for Potter and Weasly?" she questioned with a snicker.

"Not yet, but I'm sure you'll think of something." he replied, his laugh joining hers.

They sat in comfortable silence for the next little while until the lunch trolley came around. There was a knock on the door and Hermione opened it.

"Anything from the trolley dears?" the old woman questioned.

"Two pumpkin juices, one water and..." she turned to look at Draco. He shrugged, which usually meant she could get him whatever she wanted. "Two packages of chocolate frogs, two pumpkin pasties, two liquorice wands, and two packages of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans."

She took their purchases and threw them to Draco as the woman handed them to her. She paid the lady and closed and locked the door again. They split everything evenly; accept the water which went to Hermione.

"Do you want me to pay you back?" Draco questioned.

She laughed. "Of course not Draco." she said. "You're my best friend, I'm sure you'll get the next tab."

"Absolutely." he laughed with her.

They ate in silence, trading the cards in the chocolate frog boxes, since they didn't have the ones the other had. She hadn't expected Draco to be a collector of chocolate frog cards, but he had hundreds of them, some of them all the way from when he was young. She cracked her pumpkin juice bottle, taking a drink of it.

She pulled a face at the plain taste and took out her bottle of water. "Eye of rabbit, heart is glum, turn this water into rum." she said, pointing her wand at it.

It quickly turned into the strong liquor and she poured part of it into the pumpkin juice, passing it to Draco. He did the same, a mischievous smile playing over his face. He was glad that she'd managed to master that spell, and the counter-spell to it. She'd made up the counter spell, but it worked.

"Eye of newt, little otter, turn the rum back into water." she tapped the bottle with her wand, watching as the dark golden brown became clear once again. She took a drink of it, smiling as she tasted nothing.

Draco laughed again; he always laughed when he was around her, and took a drink of his pumpkin juice. It tasted a lot better.

There was only a bit of rum in the bottles, but it still put Hermione to sleep. She slept across the seat as the train passed the countryside, and soon it was getting dark. Draco stood up and closed the blinds of the compartment, looking back at Hermione to see that she was still asleep; he began changing into his robes. He had still to yet put on a shirt when she woke up. He turned to look at her as she yawned. "What time is it?" she questioned.

"Time for you to put on your robes." he said. She looked over at him, noticing that he was half nude. Her eyes widened just the slightest, but there was nothing else to give her away, she didn't even blush.

He pulled on a shirt, buttoning it up before getting out his cloak. She grabbed her robes, from her trunk, looking back at the cloak that he held up. "You'd better not be able to see through that."

"Not a thing." he said with a smile as he lowered it and looked over. She tskd and grabbed his hands, lifting them back up. Truth was that he could see through it, but the images were grey and blurred, it wasn't as good as one would think.

Hermione took off her sweater and shirt, re-clipping her bra before pulling off her pants. She pulled her underwear up, and reached for her skirt, pulling it on and rolling up the top until it was just below mid thighs. She did that for Draco. She liked him as more than a friend, but she wasn't sure how he felt. He probably just wanted to stay friends forever. She pulled on her shirt, buttoning it up before pulling her vest over it, and finally her actual robes over that.

"Done." she said. He lowered his cloak, looking her up and down. He moved forward, pushing her shirt and vest up slightly.

"What are you doing?" she questioned.

"Well, the front is shorter than the back." he said, pulling the front of her skirt down with gentle hands. Anyone who walked in would think he was trying to undress her. It was a good thing the door was locked.

She was blushing, and she tilted her head down as he moved around behind her. He rolled the back of the skirt up slightly and seeing the hem of her underwear, he couldn't resist. He pulled it out and let it go, snapping it on her skin. She turned around and hit him on the arm.

"You pervert!" she exclaimed, but she had a smile on her face.

He just laughed. "Sorry... But it was there." he said.

She laughed with him, stopping as a knock came on the door. Draco opened it and Blaise peeked in.

"Someone being perverted in here?" he joked.

Hermione laughed. "Hey Blaise." she said.

"Hermione." he said, giving her a quick hug. "How's it going?"

"Fine... Someone just decided to try to molest me." she laughed. Draco crossed his arms.

"Oh, really, can I try?" Blaise questioned.

"You can try, but you'll never get away with it, will he Draco?"

He shook his head. "I'll protect you..." he laughed.

The three of them laughed for a minute or so before Blaise patted Draco on the back. "Hey mate, can I talk to you for a minute?" he questioned.

"Sure." he said.

They left the compartment and went down the hall a little ways. "What do you want Blaise?"

"is she coming to your place over the holidays?"

"Yeah, she's going to meet my parents." Draco said.

"Is that such a good idea? You know how your father is."

"It'll be fine." Draco said, though he was worried as well.

"So when do you get to meet her parents? The dentists?"

"Over the holidays, we're splitting them." Draco replied.

"Oh. Lucky you." Blaise said. "When do I get to meet her parents?"

Draco grinned and playfully shoved him. "Never hopefully, you'd scare them off of all Slytherin, including their own daughter." he said.

"Yeah. Just make sure she's ready to meet your dad. She has to pass inspection, remember?"

"Yeah. I know. He has to make sure she's fit to be my friend. You went through the same process if you remember correctly, and you failed the first time." Draco said.

"Yeah, and it sucked." Blaise said. "Well, I'll let you get back to your woman."

"She's just a friend!"

"For now!" Blaise called over his shoulder.

Draco shook his head and went back to the compartment. Hermione was sitting with her feet up on the seat, a book spread over her lap.

"Hermione..."

"Hmm?" she questioned, looking up as he closed the doors again.

"I can see your ass." he said rather bluntly.

She huffed and put her feet down on the floor even though it really didn't bother her. He knew everything about her, well almost everything, and he'd already seen most of her body. Just her breasts, but still that was a big part. She didn't keep any secrets, accept a couple of big ones, such as the fact that she was completely in love with him, but she was afraid to tell him, and she actually hated a few of the people they hung out with at school, but they wouldn't be there this year for whatever reason.

She closed her book and looked up at him. He was staring out the window, lost in his own thoughts. She looked over his face from his silvery eyes down over his pointed nose and finally to his lips. They were full, but not too much so, their colour just a little bit darker than his pale complexion. His face was pointed, and everyone said that he looked like a ferret, but he looked more like a fox to her, a cunning, sly and incredibly smart fox.

She noticed him look over at her, a slight frown on his face as if he was wondering what she was staring at. "Draco..."

He perked up, his eyebrows rising slightly as he gave her his full, undivided attention.

"Draco... I-"

I love you, how hard was it to say those three words. I love you, I love you, and I love you. See it's not so hard... Just say it.

"I-... Never mind."

He frowned. She'd been doing that a lot. Like she was trying to confess something, but was just too afraid to do it.

"Hermione, you can tell me anything you know." he said.

"I..." I love you! "It's really nothing Draco, sorry I bothered you."

"Would you rather show me what you're trying to say? Might be easier." he said.

EASY!? How is it easy to show someone you love them?

"No really, it's nothing." she said, picking up her book and burying her nose in it.

Draco continued to stare at her, really not sure what to think. It was obviously important. Maybe he was making her uncomfortable, or maybe what Blaise had been implying was correct. Did she like him? Should he ask her out? Was it that simple?

A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, but he couldn't make sense of most of them. As the train pulled up to the station, he pushed the thoughts from his mind, standing and gathering his things. Hermione followed him closely through the crowd of people, grabbing onto his hand as someone shoved her towards the train. He pulled her close to himself, glaring at the bastard who dared to touch her. He saw a flash of red hair closely followed by a shock of messy black hair. Potter and Weasel.

He led her out of the crowd to a carriage that Blaise was already saving for them.

-

Draco rifled through his trunk, getting out a pair of pyjama pants. This was the year of the triwizard tournament; this was the year of the Yule ball. He laid his pants on the bed, looking down at his robes, picking nonexistent dirt from them. He left his dorm and went across the dungeon to the girl's dorm. He opened the door and went down the stairs, knocking on the sixth year door. It was opened by another girl he didn't know.

She smiled at him, the smile flirtatious and slightly unnerving.

"Is Hermione here?" he questioned.

He heard running steps, and Hermione shoved herself in front of the girl, closing the door behind herself. "Hi Draco." she said, brushing a lock of hair from her face behind her ear.

"Hey. I was just wondering if you'd like to go to the Yule ball with me it's this year." he said.

She brought a hand up to her chest, a smile breaking out over her face. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course." he replied.

"Yes, I would love to go to the ball with you!" Hermione said, barely able to hide her excitement.

Draco saw through her act and smiled. "Okay. That's great. It's Christmas day." he said.

"Yeah, okay." she replied. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet." Draco said, bringing his right hand up slightly. He pulled one of the rings off of his finger; a silver snake wrapped around a blood red ruby set in gold and took her hand. He slid the ring onto her middle finger, and she watched as it shrunk a little bit to fit onto it.

"I- I couldn't take this." she said, moving to pull it off.

"Of course you can. I want you to always keep it, and every time you look at it you can think of your best friend." he said.

Hermione threw her arms around him, and for a moment she could swear that he kissed her shoulder, but she couldn't be sure. He held her a little longer than he usually would have, his hands pressed to her lower back. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, and he couldn't help but lean her head in the crook of his neck, a smile pulling at her lips.

"Can you dance Hermione?" he questioned in a soft voice.

"No. Can you show me?" she really didn't know how to dance, it wasn't that she couldn't, she had enough grace to, but she'd never bothered to learn.

"Sure." he said. "But maybe not tonight."

"Okay."

He was still holding onto her, and for some reason she felt herself lean into his embrace, her body pressing more firmly to his. He was so strong; his arms were like coiled springs, the muscles in them long and wiry but still very noticeable. She could feel his abs through his robe where his stomach touched hers.

He shifted, and she loosened her grip on him, reluctantly letting him go.

"Hermione, we've been friends for six years almost, right?"

"Five years, and ten months, give or take." she actually knew how long they were friends almost right down to the day, but she didn't want to say.

He laughed, before leaning forward. His cheek pressed to hers, as he whispered to her. "Do you want to go out with me?"

Her eyes widened, and she stepped back away from him, her eyes searching his face to make sure it wasn't some kind of joke. He seemed completely sincere. "Yeah, sure." she replied. "Of course."

He leaned forward again, his hands coming to rest on the wall on either side of her. He smiled softly.

"They always say that the only way to tell if you really like someone is to see if there's a connection when you kiss them right?"

She nodded, she'd read that somewhere, hadn't she? She wasn't thinking clearly, but every thought was erased from her mind as his lips pressed down on hers. She let out a soft moan, her hands lifting to bury themselves in his hair. One of his hands snaked around her waist while the other did the same as hers, to her. His long fingers lacing their way through her curly hair, massaging her scalp lightly.

She was out of breath when they pulled apart, her pale cheeks tinted with a rosy blush.

"Good night princess." he said using an old nickname, before bowing at the waist and kissing her hand softly. "I hope to be seeing you tomorrow."

"You will my prince." she replied with a smile. "Shall you await me by the door then?"

"Yes princess, of course, anything for you."

They both laughed, and Draco stepped forward to place a chaste kiss on her lips. "Dream well princess."

"You too."

She watched him leave before pinching her arm, hard. The pain told her that it was no dream, but it felt too good to be true. She turned and opened the door to her dorm, ignoring the insistent questions from the other girls as she crawled into bed.

With a flick of her wand, the curtains were drawn around her bed, and a silencing charm later she was completely comfortable to light her lamp and read her book. But she couldn't focus on the words, her gaze kept catching the soft glint of the ring, and soon that was all she could look at.

She couldn't believe that he seemed to feel exactly the same for her as she felt for him, if not a little less. He may not be as in love with her as she was with him, but it was definitely a start. She extinguished her lamp and lay back in the plush pillows of the bed, closing her eyes with a soft smile. She could still feel his kiss on her lips...

-

Hermione woke early the next morning long before the other girls and tiptoed into the bathroom to take a shower and fix herself before they could destroy the entire place. She stripped down, taking a nice hot shower before putting her robes on, tucking the green and silver tie into her vest, and loosening it off, popping the top button of her blouse. She put on a little bit of makeup and magicked her hair into place, letting a few strands fall over and around her face. She exited the bathroom, carrying her shoes, waiting until she was in the common room before putting them on. She sat in front of the fire, reading a book and staring at her ring for a while. She was still there when everyone got up for the day. She felt someone place their hands over her eyes and a voice asked her who the person was.

She reached up, her fingers brushing over theirs. "Uhh... Draco." she said. He laughed and pulled his hands away, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"You look really good today." he complimented. "I like what you did with your eyes."

"Thanks." she replied, standing from the couch. "You look good too."

He placed his hands on his hips. "How good?"

She smiled, tilting her head to the side and looking him over. "Satisfactory." she laughed.

He crossed his arms over his chest, a frown etching itself into his face. She moved toward him, biting her lip softly. She leaned in close to whisper in his ear, her lips brushing over it as she spoke. "You look incredibly sexy Draco, just like every day."

Moving back she saw his raised eyebrow, and smirk, giving her own to him. He took her hand, leading her from the dorm and out into the great hall for breakfast. He was still holding her hand as they sat.

He cast a glance at the Gryffindor table, a sneer crossing his face as he saw Weasley's dumbfounded look. He knew that the idiot ginger had a thing for Hermione, but he was too late. Making sure that Weasley was watching, he tapped Hermione, catching her face as she turned toward him.

"I was wrong when I said you looked good. You look absolutely beautiful." he said softly.

She smiled, welcoming his soft kiss. He pulled back much too soon for her, but she didn't complain, at least he kissed her. She turned her attention back to her plate, a blush coloring her face. Draco smirked at Weasley, his grey eyes boring into him as Weasley's face contorted with anger. Hermione looked up just as Ronald stood, drawing his wand and casting a curse at Draco. Hermione pushed him out of the way, drawing her own wand quickly.

"Protego!" the curse deflected off of the shield into the ceiling.

"Mister Weasley!" McGonagall called out, outrage clouding her voice. "Detention for a month! And fifty points deducted from Gryffindor!"

There was a collective grumble, and Weasley sat down again, smacking his head against the table.

McGonagall came down from the teacher's table, moving over toward Draco and Hermione. "What did you do?"

"We didn't do anything!" Hermione exclaimed. "I don't know why he would do something like that."

Blaise stood up. "They were just talking, and Weasley lost it for some reason. I don't get why; Draco didn't do anything to deserve that."

McGonagall nodded. "What's your story Mister Malfoy?"

He looked up at her. "Same." he said, turning back to his plate.

McGonagall sighed. "Alright, but I want you all to leave as soon as you're done your breakfast, no hanging around." she said.

"No problem Professor." Hermione said.

She watched the older woman walk away, and smacked Draco's shoulder lightly. "You did that on purpose!" she hissed, although she had a smile.

Draco smiled back. "I wanted to see his reaction." he replied.

Hermione laughed. "Was it what you expected?"

"Not at all. It was a little more extreme. I thought he'd just storm out." Draco replied.

Hermione laughed again. "Well, at least I saw it coming. You're lucky I just saved your ass. I'm pretty sure that was the same curse from second year."

Draco smirked. "Too bad it didn't backfire again."

This time Blaise laughed with them. It was obvious he'd been listening. "Too bad." he agreed.

-

The three of them had free first period, and they all went outside to the lake, sitting on some of the more comfortable rocks. Draco draped his arm over Hermione's shoulder while Blaise sat in front of her, leaning back onto her knees. From his possessive hold on her, Hermione guessed that he wasn't happy with where Blaise was sitting. Hermione ignored it though, fiddling with her ring and leaning closer into him.

"Do you like it?" he breathed in her ear.

"I love it." she said.

He brushed his hand over the side of her face, and taking the hint she leaned into him, their lips touching softly in another gentle kiss.

"Do you want me to leave?" Blaise questioned good naturedly.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "No. Why on earth would I want my other best friend to leave?" He could hear the sarcasm in her voice and laughed.

"Well, okay, if you're sure."

"Absolutely."

The two of them laughed like the old friends they were, while Draco just smirked at their antics. Hermione stayed leaned over on Blaise, her arms around his neck, but she couldn't help but notice that Draco's hand was insistently rubbing her back.

"Blaise? Whatever happened between you and Flint?"

"Marcus?" Blaise questioned. "We kind of had a falling out."

"Oh, that's too bad." Hermione said. "You looked like you were really good friends."

Blaise caught the comment that was on his tongue, swallowing it and almost choking on it. "yeah." he said, tilting his head down and shutting his eyes tightly against the tears that threatened to fall. Yeah, they had a falling out the cheating bastard. They fell out when Blaise caught him and Wood going at it in the hallway in the middle of the night.

Hermione knew he was gay, but Draco didn't. She was keeping it a secret for him until he was ready to tell his oldest friend. She really was too smart for her own good.

"Draco, would you mind if I spoke to Blaise alone for a minute?" Hermione questioned.

Draco frowned. He didn't like that idea, but he was sure they wouldn't go far, and nodded.

"Thanks." she said, placing a chaste kiss on his lips before standing and pulling Blaise with her as she walked away. Once she was sure they were out of earshot of Draco she moved around in front of her friend.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry Blaise." she said softly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He shook his head. "It hurts too much." he said. "You have someone, you feel the same way about Draco as I did about Marcus, when I found out that he was cheating, it was like someone cast the cruciatus curse on me."

Hermione pulled him into a hug, noticing the way he clung to her. She knew he was trying not to cry and had to bite her lip to keep from crying herself. She tightened her grip on him, noticing that Draco was trying very hard not to look directly at them. She knew he was jealous, and wondered how long he'd been keeping his feelings from her. She pulled back away from Blaise.

"Are you okay?" she questioned.

He shook his head, his eyes still tightly closed.

"Listen to me Blaise. He didn't deserve you. You're too good for him. If he had the audacity to cheat on you, you're better off. If you want, I can help you torture him."

Blaise laughed finally. "That would be great, but I don't think I can face him."

"Okay. I'll be sure to take pictures."

He laughed again. "Thanks Hermione, you're a really good friend." he said.

She placed a kiss on his cheek, not missing the fact that Draco's hand was inching closer to his wand. She pulled Blaise with her as she went back over to Draco. Sitting next to him, she wrapped her arms around him as Blaise resumed his place in front of her. "Calm down Draco, you know I've got eyes only for you." she breathed.

He nodded, and she kissed his cheek, leaning on him again. He noticed that one of her hands rested on Blaise's shoulder, and he wanted to demand why, but he didn't really want to fuck up a relationship that had only just started.

The three of them walked back to the school when the first period was over, Blaise splitting off to go to his class while Hermione and Draco went to theirs. They sat together in the class, Hermione's leg touching his intimately. She knew he was upset about Blaise, but she couldn't just tell him what they had been talking about, that was up to Blaise to do. He pulled out a piece of parchment and his quill and scrawled a few words on it, sliding it silently across the desk to her.

'What were you doing with Blaise?'

She wrote a reply. 'Nothing, we were just talking.'

'I'm not blind, and I'm definitely not stupid.' he wrote.

'Draco, you don't understand. Blaise was upset about something I said earlier. I just didn't realize what I said until then. I had to apologize to him. He's just a friend. That's all he will EVER be.' she replied.

She saw the teacher coming and discreetly cast a charm on the paper so anyone looking at it would see only notes. She did the same to her own blank parchment. The teacher paused by their table, looking down at their papers and seeing only what he was saying in note form. He walked away, looking happy.

'I know he's a friend, but why were you being so... Close to him?'

Hermione had to stifle a laugh at that, and she covered it with a cough.

'It's called a hug. I do it to you all the time. Why the sudden jealousy?'

'Because I care about you.' he replied.

'Oh?'

'you know I do Hermione, for fuck sakes, I don't really want to say it on parchment, it's too impersonal.'

'You should really work on your language.'

'Why? It's just fuckin' perfect.' he replied, knowing exactly what she meant.

They spent the rest of the class writing notes because they both knew that Hermione had already memorized the textbook. At the very end she wrote down the assignment, before leaving, flashing a smile to the professor.

The rest of the day passed as usual; accept that Draco had a habit of sitting so close their legs touched, or their arms brushed together. Hermione really didn't mind, this was what she wanted after all.

At the end of the day Draco led her to the room of requirement, only this time it was a huge ballroom, complete with vine roses and perfect lighting. In the very far corner there were two changing walls, one for Hermione and one for Draco. Hermione found a long emerald green dress that fit her perfectly, as well as shoes that matched in her size. "Do I change?" she questioned.

"I thought you would want to dance looking your best." Draco replied.

She changed out of her robes into the dress, and waited outside for Draco, spinning slowly in a circle. She stopped when she finally saw him. He was wearing white dress-robes, complete with a black bowtie. It complimented him perfectly.

He moved toward her, bowing at the waist and holding out his hand. "Might I have this dance?" he questioned.

"There's no music." Hermione said softly, taking his hand none the less.

As if on cue a slow song began to play and it was almost as if it were coming from all around them.

"Step, step, spin." Draco said. "Now, one, two, three, and four."

They began to move about the room, Draco holding tightly to her. There was one moment when he took her waist, and lifted her right off of the floor, her hands rested on his shoulders as she looked down at him. Putting her back down, he completed the dance with a spin on her part, bowing low.

"I thought you said you couldn't dance." he said, pulling her close.

"I did. I didn't think I could." she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Are you still mad about Blaise?" she questioned.

"No." he replied, wrapping his own arms around her waist. Something caught his attention from the corner of his eye, and he looked over at the movement, noticing that one of the plants was moving. He frowned, but Hermione brought his attention back to her, she placed her hands on either side of his face, pulling him down for a kiss. He tilted his head to the side, deepening the kiss slightly. His tongue darted across her bottom lip like the lick of a velvet flame, and with a moan she opened her mouth. His tongue invaded, tasting, touching, claiming every part of her mouth with his. She closed her eyes against the blinding colours, but still couldn't rid of them. Her body began to react to the kiss, and she leaned into him, her fingers lacing through his hair. A wonton moan broke the silence, and she found herself wondering just fleetingly if that sound had come from her, the sound of pure arousal, and ultimate pleasure.

-

"Marcus?" Hermione questioned of the older Slytherin.

"What?"

"Why did you cheat on Blaise?" she questioned.

He put his quill down, finally looking up at her. He was in his last year while she still had two years to go, and she couldn't help but take a small step back from his piercing gaze. He relaxed, almost in defeat and sighed softly. "It was stupid, we were both drunk, and I regretted it immediately when I woke up." he said.

"Did you tell him that?"

"Of course, but I know that he must hate me now." Flint replied.

"No."

"No?" Marcus stood.

"He still loves you." she said. "And maybe I can convince him to give you another chance."

"Would you? It would mean so much to me if you could."

"Oh, I'm not doing it for you." she replied, walking away from him, leaving him pondering over what she meant.

-

"Come on Blaise it'll be fun!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I don't want to go. What if Marcus is there?"

"Please Blaise... Pretty please? Come on, I love you and I don't want to go alone."

"What about Draco?"

"That guy is as stubborn as I am. He didn't want to go because he might drink too much and say something or he might get into a fight, or he might end up getting hexed, or he could curse someone and get expelled. He went through every excuse." she said. He actually didn't want to go, but she didn't actually push him quite that much.

Blaise sighed. "Fine."

She threw her arms around him with a soft giggle. "Thank you!"

-

Later just after getting ready for the party, she went and found Flint. "He'll be there I'll see if I can't get him talking." she said softly.

He reached out and shook her hand. "Thank you."

"Just remember, firewhisky makes him... You know, and butterbeers loosen his tongue." she said.

"I know. I remember everything about our time together. We were together for a year." Marcus replied with a smile, and it was the best year of his short life.

-

Hermione dragged Blaise over to a table that was empty save for an empty glass or two. She sat down with a sigh; wiping her brow with the back of her hand it was really hot in the room. Blaise sat next to her, a huge grin on his face as he enjoyed the party. It was a Slytherin party but there were people from the other houses there too, even Luna got a date.

"Blaise?"

Blaise turned his smile fading as he saw Marcus. "What do you want Flint?"

Marcus knelt in front of him, taking his hands. "Blaise, I love you. And I'll never stop. Please, forgive me."

Hermione saw Blaise smile, and did a little happy dance inside. She was left alone as the two of them spoke to each other. She left the party completely, having done what she'd had to do. She returned to the Slytherin common room, flopping into her bed in her deserted dorm room. She had wanted to see Draco, but he wasn't in the common room, so she figured he had to be sleeping.

She sighed and closed her eyes, falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

-

It was later that night when she was woken by a voice calling her name. She didn't know who it was, or even if it was real, all she knew was that there was an uncomfortably loud hissing noise that wouldn't go away for a minute or so after she awoke.

She climbed out of bed and looked out the window, placing her hand upon the cold pane of glass. The sun was close to rising, and she yawned slightly before going into the bathroom to change and fix herself before heading out to the common room. She walked up the stairs, skipping the top one as she opened her book lifting it to start reading when she noticed someone else already sitting on one of the black leather couches. She frowned and silently closed the book, the words unread and the page untouched as she recognized the head of bright platinum blonde hair.

"Draco?" she questioned softly.

He turned quickly, standing as he heard her speak, visibly relaxing as he recognized her. "Hey Hermione..." he replied, sounding tired and worn."Couldn't sleep."

She nodded, moving closer to him. She noticed him shift once again, and she caught the movement of one of his pale arms swinging around behind his back.

"Is there something wrong Draco?" she questioned.

"No, nothing." he said with a half smile.

She didn't believe him for a moment. "Draco..." she said slowly."You know that you can tell me if there was something bothering you."

She noticed that he shifted again, and suddenly he wasn't looking at her but rather directly through her, his eyes glossy and unfocused. She rushed forward as he began to fall; she caught him and steadied him, pushing on his shoulders to get him standing on his own again. He stood over her, looking down at her, his stormy silver eyes trained upon her face. She felt one of his hands slide over her cheek, and frowned as he leaned down. A kiss was pressed to her lips, and although she kissed back, she didn't like the feeling it gave her. She loved his kisses, loved how his lips felt pressing up against hers, but this time instead of the warmth of him, he was cold, unnaturally cold.

She tried to speak as he pulled back, but she was silenced as his lips once again claimed hers. His long fingers which she had learned long ago were very deft at playing piano laced through her hair holding her close. His other arm raised itself slowly and her eyes widened as she noticed the streaks of blood on it, the ruby liquid spilled from new cuts, streaming across a pale expanse of skin to drip onto the floor.

She pulled back from him, wincing as her hair caught in his ring. She took his hand and flipped it so his wrist was facing up before taking out her wand and casting a few healing charms on it. Her lips moved slightly as she mumbled the spells under her breath, watching the blood drain back into his skin before the wounds knitted together. "Why?" she questioned.

Draco stayed silent, watching what she was doing with interest. It was only after she was done that he spoke. "I love you Hermione. Don't ever think any different." he said.

He took a step forward so she was once again within a foot of him. She looked up at him, her chocolate brown eyes watery. "Why, Draco. Why would you do something like that?" she repeated.

He caught her chin, his grip gentle as he tilted her head back slightly. "I'm sorry." he said. "You were never supposed to know."

She frowned. "You would have kept this from me?"

He smiled just slightly. "I was supposed to stop." he explained. "I was supposed to let go, but I couldn't."

"Let go of what?"

"I love you." was all he said.

"I guess that means that you'll tell me when you're ready." she said, calming significantly now that he wasn't bleeding to death before her very eyes.

He had leaned down, pressing a kiss to her neck, just below her ear. He let go of her chin, trailing one finger down over her chest and stomach before pulling her shirt up slightly, smoothing his palm over her skin. She didn't know why, but she tilted her head to the side to give him more room and pushed her body more firmly into his hand. She didn't know what was going on, but whatever he was doing was making heat coil in the pit of her stomach like a spring, ready to snap at the right moment.

"Exquisite." the word was whispered, the sound so soft it didn't echo, even in the stone dungeon.

She could feel the buttons of her blouse being popped open and looked down, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Draco, there might be-"

Her sentence was cut off as he pulled back, pressing his now warmed lips to hers once more. It seemed that he just didn't care if anyone came along and saw what they were doing. His fingers continued with their trek over her blouse, popping buttons free at a steady pace. Once finished, his mouth moved down to the side of her neck again as his hand smoothed over her bare skin. She felt something cold, hard and very soft slide over her chest and looked down, seeing that he had his wand out and was sliding it down over her. It didn't hurt her, but the tip of the wand managed to cut through the front of her bra, making it come apart. She felt the soft globes of flesh become weighted as the support was ended.

There was a sound from the other end of the common room, and Draco turned quickly as someone giggled. He stepped to the side slightly to shield Hermione from the view of a couple of girls. He heard her mutter a reparo charm before she began to button up her shirt.

"Uh, what's up?" Draco said, not sure what else to say or do.

There was an answering giggle from one of the girls as the other yawned slightly. "It's almost time for everyone to get up, we thought we'd beat everyone to it, but-" she smiled slightly, her eyes moving from Draco to Hermione who had finally stepped out from behind him. "I see you had mostly the same idea."

Hermione turned away, looking down at the floor as a blush coloured her face. Draco took her hand in his, leading her toward the door. She followed willingly enough, walking just slightly behind him as he took her to the great hall to eat some breakfast. They sat together, close enough to look like a couple, but far enough away to not touch one another. Hermione was still embarrassed about being caught, and Draco could see just by the way that her eyes never left the table that she was mad at him, at least a little.

Once she was finished eating, Hermione stood to leave and grab her things, stopping when a hand grabbed her wrist. Draco stood, sighing softly. "Hermione, please talk to me." he said.

She frowned at him before seeming to cave in. There were very few people in the great hall so early but she still didn't want anyone to hear, so she began walking toward the huge doors that led out into the entrance hall. He followed behind her, knowing that some people were watching as if they knew that the two were fighting.

Hermione slowed as she neared the black lake, and turned toward Draco. "You know, it's not that I'm mad at you for hurting yourself and not telling me why, or even for molesting me in the common room-"

"You could hardly call that molesting, you seemed fine with it." he retorted.

She glared at him for a moment before continuing. "I'm not mad at you at all." she paused, stopping to look out over the lake. "I'm embarrassed about being caught, hurt because of what you did to yourself, conflict about it, and therefore guilty for not making you tell me."

Draco smiled slightly. "Only someone like you could feel that much at once."

"Why, because I don't have the emotional range of a teaspoon?"

"Well," he looked at her. "There's that, and because only you would have enough wit to be able to tell those kinds of emotions apart so easily."

She smiled in spite of herself and took a step forward, wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm hug. "I still love you as well."

Draco kissed her shoulder in reply, his arms snaking around her waist to return the embrace. His silvery eyes which were just beginning to shine as the sun rose completely over the mountain tops, were fixed on the ground. He rested his chin on Hermione's shoulder.

"I hope you don't think I was doing that because of you, or anything you did." he said.

She tried to move back, but he held her close, not wanting to have to look into her beautiful brown eyes as he told her exactly what was wrong. "Please Hermione, just let me get this out." he said. She stopped and he continued. "I didn't want you to know. I didn't want you to think I was weak. I was supposed to stop, I was supposed to give it up this summer, but I never managed to. I never really wanted to die I suppose; I just wanted to try to stop the thoughts that are always eating away at the seams of my sanity. For a while it worked. I didn't want you to know what goes on inside of my mind; I didn't want you to catch even a glimpse of the darkness within. You see, I started doing this to try to rid of my guilt. I saw something at the beginning of the summer and I never managed to tell anyone."

"What did you see?" Hermione breathed, not sure if she wanted to know.

"I saw my father rape one of the servant girls. My mother was out, and I heard the screaming. He- raped her, and then killed her right before my very eyes. I can see those things, the Thestrals that pull the carriages now, so I know that he killed her. She wasn't moving. I didn't tell anyone, not even my mother. I don't fear my father, and I know that I could tell someone and he couldn't do anything to me, it keeps replaying over and over in my dreams. That's why I started hurting myself; it stops the thoughts, the images."

Hermione was stunned; she stood still in his embrace, holding onto him tightly. "Draco... I- don't know what to say." she said, her voice a breathy whisper.

"You don't have to say anything." he replied. "You've helped just by listening."

Hermione smiled, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "You know I'm always there for you." she said.

-

It was late at night, around one in the morning when Hermione was woken by a sound. She sat up and looked toward the window where the tapping was coming from. There on the window sill sat a large barn owl, its white face illuminated by the silvery light of the moon.

"Constance?" she breathed, recognizing Narcissa Malfoy's owl.

She stood from her bed, a shiver going through her as her feet touched the icy stone floor. A breath of chilly air brushed her hair back from her face as she slid the window open. Constance hopped in through the opening, lifting her leg politely so that Hermione could untie the letter. She gave the owl a soft scratch and opened the drawer below the ground floor window to take out a small piece of meat to give her. Constance took it with lady like manners before flying away.

Hermione closed the drawer and opened the letter to read it.

'Hermione, I'm very sorry but you can't come over this holiday. I would so like to meet you, but some things between Lucius and I have gotten in the way. I will be sure to invite you over this summer. Hoping that you and Draco have fun at your parent's house- Narcissa Malfoy.'

Hermione frowned before rolling up the parchment again. She stretched and yawned, not feeling tired anymore. She pulled on one of her robes and left the dorm, knowing that the things between Narcissa and Lucius had to be what Draco had spoken about. She tied her robe closed with a slight jerk and closed her eyes as she stretched and walked toward the couch.

Draco looked up as he heard the sound of bare feet slapping lightly on the floor, smiling as he saw Hermione. "Hey." he said softly.

She jumped and looked up at him before smiling in return. "Why are you up?" she questioned, sitting close next to him.

"I couldn't sleep." he replied. He noticed the way that her chocolaty eyes flashed down to his arms that were resting on his lap under the book he'd been reading. He closed the book and laid it down on the couch, stretching the kinks out of his tired muscles. In a cliché move, he laid one arm over Hermione's shoulders, pulling her close. She smiled and laid her head against his shoulder while letting her right hand rest comfortably on his chest.

"So what woke you up?" he questioned.

"I got a letter from your mother. She says that I can't visit this holiday, and said that she hopes you have fun at my house." she replied.

"Did she give a reason as to why you can't visit?"

"She said that there have been problems between her and Lucius, she didn't say anything other than that." she replied.

Draco nodded. "They've had problems for years."

Hermione lay against him for another little while before she was woken sometime later by him shaking her shoulder gently. She lifted her head with a tired sound of confusion.

"It's almost time for breakfast." Draco said. "You've got about half an hour before the others get up."

She nodded before sitting up completely and stretching. "Sorry for falling asleep on you." she said.

Draco smiled. "No worries." he replied. "I don't mind."

Hermione stood and went to get herself ready, only taking maybe ten minutes since she knew that Draco was waiting for her.

-

"Shove off Malfoy." Ron said angrily, pushing his way past the blonde.

"Ooh, someone feeling a bit daring today?" Draco sneered.

Hermione's sneer almost mirrored his, as she reached over and took his hand. Ron's face turned an angry shade of red that clashed absolutely horribly with his hair.

"What are you smirking at... mudblood?" he snarled.

Hermione's sneer faded and her eyes widened just slightly. Draco let go of her hand, and before she knew what was happening Ron was shoved up against the nearest wall, Draco's wand pressing hard into the hollow of his throat. "How dare you say something like that!" he hissed.

Ron only seemed to get angrier from the attack. "It's not like you haven't thought the same thing." he retorted.

Draco let out a hiss through his teeth, his wand moving up to press into the soft flesh under Weasley's chin. "I would never think something like that about my best friend. I love her you dolt!"

Ron sneered, looking over Draco's shoulder at Hermione and Harry who hadn't said a word or done a thing since the beginning. "You can't love something like that. Why would you want that filth anywhere near you? I can't believe that you would actually put your hands on it."

Draco had just opened his mouth to utter a hex when a hand squeezed his shoulder lightly. "Draco..." Hermione said in a soft voice. "Just leave it, don't worry about it."

Draco released him, stepping back and shoving his wand into his robes. "You're lucky you stupid prat." he growled before beginning to walk away.

Ron pushed himself away from the wall, standing straight. "You'd better walk away you stupid bitch."

Hermione turned so quickly that Draco hardly even noticed it. All he knew was that there was a crack, and suddenly Ron was holding his face, blood pouring out from between his fingers. Hermione stood in front of him flexing her hand as if in pain. "Fuck off Weasley." she hissed.

Draco shook his head slightly before hurrying after Hermione who stalked off angrily. He caught up with her, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her to a stop. She spun around, looking up at him with her beautiful brown eyes. He frowned. "Maybe you should have let me hex him."

She smiled. "No, breaking his nose was much more fun."

He smiled in return, lifting her hand up slightly, looking at her knuckles, seeing that they were already bruised and swelled. He took out his wand, seeing her turn her head away and close her eyes tightly. He tapped her hand. "Episky."

She let out a small cry as her knuckles immediately popped back into place, each fractured bone mending painfully fast. She felt Draco's fingers close around hers and realized that she was clinging tightly to his hand. Turning back she looked up into his moonlight silver eyes, noticing that they had begun to turn a soft blue just near the pupils. She felt his other hand brush over her cheek, the pads of his fingers hooking under her chin to tilt her head up. She closed her eyes when he leaned down, letting go of his hand to wrap her arms around his neck. She had to stand on her toes to reach him, but she closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his softly. She felt his arms wrap themselves around her waist, and suddenly she didn't have to stand on her own anymore. His tongue brushed over her bottom lip, and without a second thought she opened her mouth to him, allowing him to claim her mouth with his tongue.

There was a soft sound, and someone cleared their throat, breaking the heated moment. Hermione didn't want to stop, but Draco pulled back, letting her go. She turned to the person, blushing as she saw that it was Professor McGonagall. "He-hello professor." she said.

McGonagall nodded. "Good evening Miss. Granger, Mr. Malfoy. I would like to speak with the both of you about Mr. Weasley." she said.

Draco looked at Hermione quickly, noticing that she frowned. "What about him?" she questioned.

"I heard that there was a bit of a scuffle between you two in which Mr. Weasley got his nose broken."

"Yes Professor, its true." she said.

"And what was the reasoning for this?"

"He called her a mudblood." Draco replied. "And some other muggle swear."

"Miss. Granger?" McGonagall questioned.

"He also called me a bitch." she replied. "He brought it upon himself."

McGonagall frowned, seeming angry. "He most certainly did." she replied, turning on her heel and walking away.

Draco smiled. "At least she seems to agree with us." he said.

Hermione laughed. "Definitely."

-

It was only one day away from the holidays, and no one seemed to be paying attention in any classes, not even Snape's. Hermione and Draco sat together at the back of Defence Against The Dark Arts class, talking quietly to one another when a knock came on the door.

The professor walked toward the huge oak panel, pulling it open to see Dumbledore standing on the other side. "I wish to see Miss. Granger and Mr. Malfoy." he said.

The professor turned to call them only to see that they were already packing up to leave. They followed Dumbledore to his office, standing a few steps below him on the rotating stairs before following him through the door. Someone was inside, and Draco smiled when she stood.

"Hello Mother." he said striding forward to embrace her.

She was small compared to him, the top of her head reaching his chin, but she had the same blonde hair and grey eyes. "Draco." she said, a smile in place on her pretty face.

Hermione stood back a few paces, surprised when Narcissa moved over to her to hug her as well. "Hello Hermione, it's very nice to meet you."

Hermione hugged her back. "Thank you, it's great to meet you as well."

Once everything calmed down, Dumbledore gave the good news. "Mr. Malfoy your mother will be staying here at Hogwarts for the remainder of the year. She will be teaching a class in the absence of another one of your teachers." he said.

Draco looked at his mother. "Which class?" he questioned.

Hermione looked past him, a confused look on her face. "You'll be teaching Care of Magical Creatures, won't you?" she questioned. "The other professor retired a day ago."

Narcissa smiled. "Naturally, you've come to the correct conclusion." she said. "I always did love most of the magical creatures, I find them so fascinating."

Hermione smiled. "Welcome to Hogwarts then... Professor Malfoy." she said.

Narcissa smiled. "Thank you Hermione."

Dumbledore stood. "Now if you two would please excuse us we must talk about the housing of Mrs. Malfoy." he said. "I believe it's nearly dinner."

Hermione stood first, giving Narcissa one last hug before walking toward the door. She paused when she didn't hear Draco following. Looking back she saw him bending down over his mother, obviously listening to whatever she was saying to him. Hermione waited for him, grateful that she didn't have to wait for long. After a moment he stood with a nod and followed after her, taking her hand just before closing the door.

-

The great hall was nearly silent accept for a few other people who had showed up early. Most of the teachers were there, and since it was quidditch today, Hermione doubted if many more people would show up. Draco reached up, his hand sliding over the side of her neck, resting just below her jaw-line while his thumb brushed softly over her cheek. He smiled softly at her, his molten eyes moving over her face. "I love you Hermione." he said.

She returned his smile, leaning into him to press a soft kiss to his lips. Pulling back after a moment, brown met silver, clashing into gold as she uttered her reply. "I love you too."

There was the sound of someone drawing in a quick breath and they moved apart, turning to look at Narcissa who stood on the other side of the table. Her pale hands were clutched together, pressed against her ribs just below her breasts, a smile in place on her face. "Young love." she breathed. "I could not have picked a better girl for you Draco. I'm proud of you."

Hermione turned away, blushing brightly at her comment. Draco looked from Hermione to his mother and back. "Thank you." he said, seemingly speaking to Narcissa, but Hermione recognized the tone he only ever used for her.

Narcissa nodded, walking away, a slight bounce in her step.

Hermione laughed quietly. "I suppose she approves of me." she said.

Draco smirked. "I'm sure she does."

-

It wasn't too much later when they sat together in the common room, Hermione's leg resting over his while they both read. They were both the brightest of their age group, and believe it or not, they both loved to read, even Draco.

They sat quietly, not noticing that the sun was setting and soon one by one or in groups their house-mates left to go to bed until they were the only ones left in the dying firelight. Hermione closed her book, stretching slightly with a yawn. Draco looked up from his page, smiling at her before marking his page and closing the book. "Are you tired?" he questioned.

Hermione smiled, moving closer to him. "Not at all." she replied. "Why, what did you have in mind?"

He caught her chin in a soft grip, bringing her face closer to his. Their lips meshed together softly, the only sounds the soft noise they made when they pulled apart. Hermione found herself smiling between each kiss, not able to help herself. "Mhh, Draco-" she was cut off as his lips pressed to hers once more before moving down over the side of her face to her neck where he settled to suck on her skin softly. "Draco..."

He could feel something beginning to stir in his lower stomach as she nearly moaned his name. He continued to suck on her skin, his hands moving to rest on her waist before lifting her, making her straddle his legs.

She let out a soft sound of surprise, pulling back to look down at him. He stared up at her, his gaze meeting hers once more. "Draco... I'm not ready for this." she said.

He smiled with a nod. "Don't worry." he said. "I'm not pushy."

She smiled in return, leaning down over him, resting comfortably on him, her head resting against his shoulder. "Draco, will you sleep with me tonight?" she questioned.

He looked down at her profile. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Will you sleep with me; just hold me through the night?"

He tightened his grip around her. "Can I get into the dorm?" he questioned.

"Yes, Salazar Slytherin believed that males in his house were more trustworthy than the other houses, there are no charms on the dorms." she replied, sitting up.

Draco smiled, pressing one last kiss to her lips before following her to her dorm room. It was quiet inside other than the snores of one girl, and Draco had no trouble slipping into the room, or into Hermione's bed. They lay together, Hermione lying on her side facing Draco with his arms wrapped around her, his chin resting on the top of her head.

"Good night Draco." she breathed.

He leaned down slightly, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Good night Hermione." he replied.

-

Hermione was woken by the feeling of the bed dipping under someone's weight. She looked over to see Draco pulling on his robes and shoes. She sat up with a soft sound, noticing that their was no one else in the dormitory. "Draco?" she questioned groggily.

He turned to look at her just before standing. "Morning." he said with his usual breath taking smile.

She yawned and stretched before flipping back the covers, feeling more than seeing his eyes move over her. That's when she realized that she wasn't wearing anything but her usual tank top and boy-shorts. Blushing she looked down at the floor, noticing her robes laying in a heap there. "Umm, where is everyone?" she questioned.

"At breakfast probably." he said, as he did up his robes and smoothed his hair down slightly.

Hermione stood, stretching before picking up her uniform, turning away modestly as she lifted the tank top up and over her head, putting it on her bed before pulling on her uniform blouse. She quickly put on the rest of her uniform, before turning back. Draco had a slight smile, and she frowned. "What's that look for?" she questioned.

"You're just too much sometimes." he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've already seen most of what's up there, and yet you still turn away."

"I'm modest, not egotistical like you." she retorted, although there was still a smile on her face.

He shrugged. "By the way I do like your new accessory."

She frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Huh?"

He winked and gestures toward the side of her neck. Her hand flashed up, and her eyes widened. "You didn't!"

She rushed over to the mirror in the bathroom to see a large purple bruise like spot on the side of her neck. "Draco! We're leaving tomorrow to my parent's house! They can't see this!"

Draco sighed, and strode forward, pulling her hair back out of the way, tapping the spot with his wand while muttering a spell. The hickey disappeared to be replaced with her normal creamy skin another tap and it was back in place. "You're a witch Hermione." he murmured, placing a kiss on her cheek. "You should remember that."

Hermione blushed, turning to face him. "So, I was thinking-"

"As usual." Draco cut in.

"Shut up." she said. "Anyways I was thinking, and I thought that maybe we could do something more..."

Draco stepped back, looking confused. "What do you mean?"

She reached out, taking his hand in hers before closing the distance between them once more, placing his palm over one of her breasts. His eyebrows rose, but he kept his hand in place.

"I thought you said you-"

"I did." she cut in. "But that doesn't mean that I don't want you to touch me. I mean after what Weasley said before..."

Draco shifted his hand, bringing it up to hook his fingers under her chin. "He's an idiot. You know that I love you, and you know that I want you. I want to touch you as much as you want to be touched, but like I said, I can wait, I'm not pushy."

Hermione smiled, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I love you too Draco." she said. "Thank you."

He returned her embrace, before picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder. She let out a small shriek as he began carrying her out of the dorm. "Draco! Put me down!"

He just smiled and kept going out of the common room and finally toward the hallway. She came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to put her down anytime soon and relaxed, just going with it. She could feel his hand resting lightly on her backside, and blushed hiding her face in her hands. Draco finally put her down outside of the great hall, taking her hand in his. "Should we put on a show?" he questioned.

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

He winked. "That's up to you. We could be fighting and make up, or we can just seem so in love and in tuned with each other that we don't notice anyone else."

"What do you prefer?" she questioned.

He smiled, leaning down slightly to say something.

-

Hermione burst through the doors of the great hall, tears streaming down her face as she took a seat by herself about halfway down the Slytherin table. Narcissa looked up with concern, wondering what was going on.

She noticed Draco walk in a few moments later, his gaze fixed upon the floor, his jaw set and his arms crossed. He was obviously feeling guilty about something. She was going to stand before Hermione noticed him, but she was too late. Hermione shot to her feet, closing the distance between herself and her boyfriend quickly, too in character to notice that everyone was watching. Draco looked up, his gaze giving her permission to do what she was planning, what she'd already planned out with him.

She lifted her hand bringing it back before swinging it in a wide arch, her palm connecting with the side of his face. His head snapped to the side even though the slap was only about half power. He stood with his eyes closed tightly; his head tilted down and turned to one side, his hair covering his eyes.

Narcissa stood her hands on the table as she watched the display before her.

"What in the hell is wrong with you?!" Hermione hissed.

Draco didn't reply, just lifted his head, the left side of his face turning red.

"What were you thinking?!"

He just looked at her, his eyes never leaving hers. He actually flinched when she reached up, but she just brushed his hair from his eyes. "You know that you could have gotten yourself killed."

He nodded, biting onto the inside of his lip, putting on a good show. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. "Don't do it again."

He returned her embrace. "I'm sorry, I won't, I promise." he said softly.

The great hall was so silent you could hear a pin drip, but they didn't care, they sat once more, side by side, their hands intertwined on the table as they ate from the golden plates.

-

The train ride was normal, nothing much really happened, there wasn't anything interesting. Draco had said goodbye to his mother on the platform, looking slightly red and embarrassed when she didn't want to let him go. She did the same to Hermione.

"Hey, Draco?" Hermione questioned.

He looked up from his book, closing the pages around his fingers as to not lose his place. "Yeah?"

"Are you nervous?"

He smirked. "Not at all." he replied. "Why, are you?"

Hermione snorted. "No way." she said, but he could still see the slightest hint of worry in her eyes.

Draco moved to sit next to her, taking her left hand in his, brushing his thumb over the ring. "Do you see this?" he questioned softly.

She nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

"it's a promise ring Hermione, not only does it show my love for you, but it'll always be there to remind you that I will always be there for you." he said, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

She smiled, turning to look at him. "Thanks."

He placed a kiss on her lips as well, just a short, chaste peck, but a kiss none the less. When he moved back, he could see that her brilliant mind was turning again. "A Knut for your thoughts?" he questioned.

She smiled. "So does this ring mean that you want to marry me?"

Draco looked down at the floor of the train for a few moments before looking back up into her doe eyes. "I would, yes, if your parents would permit it."

She smiled. "I'm sure they would." she said.

Draco brought up his hand, brushing her hair back from her face, hearing it crackle as the static made it stick to her muggle sweater. "I sure hope so..." he said, and for once Hermione wasn't sure what exactly he was talking about.

She thought at first that he was talking about them approving of the union he wanted with her, but then the slightly provocative moves he made, almost made her think of something else. She shook her head slightly, sure that his words were completely innocent...

-

The platform was already crowded when they stepped off the train, and Hermione looked around for a way through to the gateway. Her parents usually left her on platform nine or ten, and met her at the same place. It wasn't that they didn't want to go onto the platform; it was that her mother had a slight phobia of crowds, and there was always so many people waiting for the Hogwarts students.

She stopped as she was jostled around by some other students. Draco took her hand, and using his seemingly uncaring attitude, he pulled her through the crowd, pushing people out of the way. Luckily they only had a couple of bags to worry about, instead of a trolley with their trunks on it.

Once they stepped through the barrier, Hermione let out a breath of relief, stopping for a moment to look around before pulling Draco behind her. "Over here."

Her parents were sitting on a bench, her mother holding tightly to her husband's hand, a happy and expectant look on her face. Hermione smiled, letting go of Draco a few paces from them. "Mum, Dad..."

They both stood at almost the same moment, both smiling happily. Draco stood back a few paces, waiting politely for the reunion to end. Hermione's mother turned, catching sight of him, her eyes widening slightly. "You must be Draco." she said.

He smiled Hermione's favourite smile, seeing her mother falter slightly. "It's so nice to finally meet you." he said, bowing slightly at the waist.

Hermione's mother turned to her father, saying something quietly that he nodded to. He stepped forward, extending his hand. Draco didn't even hesitate to grasp his hand in a firm handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well sir." he said.

"Well, Hermione's told us all about you of course, but she must have left out a few minor details." Mr. Gran

ger commented.

Draco frowned. "Uhh..."

"Not to worry my boy, it's nothing to fret over, just a few minor things about your appearance."

Draco's eyes flashed to Hermione who sniggered at his obvious worry that perhaps something was off about his usually immaculate looks. After another few minutes of talking between them, they walked out to the car, Hermione and Draco a few paces behind the older couple.

"Why would your father say something like that?" he questioned softly.

She smiled. "All I told them was that you were blonde with silver eyes and you were taller than me. My mother seems to find you quite attractive." she commented.

Draco looked quickly at the older female, one of his eyebrows rising slightly. "Seriously?"

"I think she's quite smitten."

Draco shot her a sidelong glance. "So when should we let her know that you're the only girl for me?"

Hermione smiled, blushing slightly. "Soon, we'll do something, like kiss or something in the morning in front of them as if we're used to it and we didn't realize we were doing it." she said.

"Brilliant as usual Hermione." he said, looking up at her parents before sneaking a chaste kiss from her.

Her parents stopped by the car, looking back at them, and Hermione realized that they had stopped walking and were now facing each other. She shook her head as a cover up. "They're watching us." she said softly.

Draco smiled. "I see that, I didn't even notice we stopped."

"Neither did I." Hermione said, smiling in return.

"Well, wish me luck." Draco commented.

"Good luck, I love you."

Draco nodded in agreement. "I love you too."

Hermione threw her arms around him, surprising him since he didn't return the embrace for a few moments. Her mother smiled at them as they finally made their way to the car. "Ready to go home?" she questioned.

Hermione nodded with a smile.

-

The house was normal, unremarkable if you will. There was a television, a normal muggle kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms. Draco immediately gravitated toward the television and the phone once he was through the door.

Hermione followed him, wondering if he'd learned anything from her and the book she gave him from the muggle studies course. She wasn't in the class, but she had the book anyways, she thought it was interesting how wizards and witches thought all of the electronic things worked.

He brushed his hand over the top of the flatscreen, before looking behind it. "I remember reading about this." he said. "It's a tele, I think it said that ekletricity moves through the cord into the inside and makes a light shine to project pictures onto the glass, right?"

Hermione smiled. "Close enough, but its electricity." she commented.

"Oh." was all he said.

"Come on, I'll show you to my room." she said.

"Where am I going to sleep?" he questioned.

"My room, I think my mother said that she set up the air mattress on the floor." she replied.

Draco frowned. "Air mattress?"

"Yes, it's like a bed accept that it's filled with air." she said. "Here, I'll show you, c'mon."

He followed her up the stairs to the last door on the right, looking around with surprise as she opened it. The mixture of muggle and magic artefacts and books was surprising to say the least. There were muggle things that he didn't recognize as well as more than a few magical things, moving pictures, small creatures and mostly books.

He looked around to see that Hermione's bed was a normal queen sized bed that had a thick oak headboard and footboard as well as large ornate bedposts keeping it in place. "It's not exactly the most interesting place ever..."

"I think its great." he said, moving to sit in the middle of the air mattress that was next to Hermione's bed.

Hermione sat on her own bed, picking up her iPod and cord, plugging it into the wall to charge it for a while before showing it to Draco. "I'm afraid there isn't much to do, but my parents will be going to work on the weekdays, so we'll have the house to ourselves for five days a week." she said, lying back onto the bed. "We can do pretty much anything then."

Draco lay back as well, looking up at the ceiling, frowning. "Hermione, is that a picture of me above your bed?"

She blushed. "Yeah and there's the one on my nightstand, the one on my dresser, the ones in my closet and the ones around my mirror."

"So how exactly did your parents not know what I look like?"

"They don't come in here." she replied.

"Why do you have so many pictures of me?" he questioned.

"Truthfully?" he nodded. "Draco I- I've loved you for a very long time, but I was always afraid to tell you. I was worried that if I told you and you didn't feel the same it would drive you away. I've been waiting for three years for you to ask me to go out, or to tell me that you feel at least somewhat the same."

Draco sat up, leaning on the side of the bed, placing his chin on his crossed arms. "How could you have fallen for a selfish, spoiled git like me?"

Hermione turned onto her side, resting her head on her arm. "You're not a git. You may be selfish, and you may be spoiled, but you're not as bad as everyone makes you out to be. You do have a soft side, I've seen it. You're the guy that collects chocolate frogs and owns an owl that was his best friend for five years."

"Yeah, I know." he said. "And you're the muggleborn who knew nothing of the magical world until you were eleven, and yet you know more about it now that most others could learn."

Hermione smiled, and she found herself just staring into the silvery depths of his eyes, losing herself in the moonlight they seemed to emanate. He met her gaze and once more silver and brown clashed to make bright emperor gold, that's how they were when Mrs. Granger came up to get them for dinner. She paused in the open doorway, watching them for a moment, thinking at first that it was some sort of game, but after another moment, she noticed something glinting on Hermione's left hand. A ring, a gold and silver ring with a ruby that had some kind of crest etched onto it. She also noticed that Draco had a ring, and she recognized the Slytherin house colors and crest, but the one Hermione wore had a different crest. She cleared her throat, noticing the way that they both jumped and looked at her.

"Dinner time kids." she said, giving Hermione a knowing look.

Dinner consisted of a normal muggle meal of roasted beef and potatoes with some vegetables, but even Draco found it satisfactory. Once he'd finished he sat back slightly, staring down at the worn wooden table. "Thank you." he said.

Hermione looked at him as if in surprise, she had never heard those words come out of his mouth unless directed at her, his mother or a teacher.

Mrs. Granger smiled. "You're quite welcome Draco."

Mr. Granger looked up from his book. "Would you kids mind doing the dishes for us too?"

Draco frowned, looking at Hermione who laughed, quieting only when she noticed her parents looking at her strangely. "I'm sorry, Draco here has never had to do the dishes, or cook, or clean or anything."

Draco looked away at the wall, a light blush coloring his face as her parents turned to look at him with the same strange and slightly surprised expression. Hermione elbowed him, and he looked at her.

"I Uh... I have a house elf who does all of that for me." he said softly, still not meeting anyone's eye.

"Well... There's, there's no reason not to learn now then." Mrs. Granger said with a smile.

Draco nodded. "No problem, I'll do my best."

Hermione couldn't help but smile.

-

"Draco?" Hermione questioned once he'd finished putting the clean dishes in the rack.

"Hmm?"

"Could you please wipe down the counter and table for me as well?" she asked.

He frowned. "Umm..."

"Just take this cloth, and brush everything off of the counter and table onto the floor." she said, handing him a damp cloth.

"Okay..." was all he said.

He seemed to do well, because by the time he'd finished with the counter and table as well as the stove -which he found fascinating for some reason- Hermione was done with the dishes.

He dropped the cloth into the sink, looking down at his hands. "And you do this all the time?"

"Yes." she said with a laugh. "I know you probably don't like it-"

"No, it's fine, I actually don't mind it." he said.

Hermione stopped what she was doing to stare at him.

"What?"

"Draco Malfoy doesn't mind doing household chores?"

"It's not so bad... I mean I guess it makes me feel... Normal." he said, his voice growing softer as he reached the last word.

Hermione knew what he meant instantly, and looked around the corner into the den to see that her parents seemed to be too interested with the television. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Draco's shoulders. "You are normal Draco." she said with a soft sigh. "I promise you."

He returned the embrace, not sure what to say. "Thanks." he reached up, hooking his fingers under her chin to tilt her face up. "For everything." with that he placed a soft and loving kiss on her lips, pulling back as he heard the couch squeak as someone got up.

Hermione stepped away from him and opened the fridge, taking out a jug of juice just as her father entered the room. "Finished?"

"Yep." she replied, taking down a couple of glasses and pouring the juice into them.

He nodded. "That's good, if you want to go for a walk to show Draco the neighbourhood, you can." he said, looking at the Slytherin male as he said his name.

Draco nodded politely, and something told him that Mr. Granger didn't trust him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he had the feeling anyways.

"I think we'll do that tomorrow, it's been a long day today." she replied, picking up the cups, giving one to Draco, who held it with a gentle elegance that actually surprised Mr. Granger.

Draco smiled at his expression, knowing exactly what he was thinking. How would a sixteen year old kid, a guy none the less be able to hold a glass in a graceful manner without looking strange? He got that reaction a lot. He learned from his mother that a cup, no matter how crude wasn't just a cup, it was glass and if you weren't careful with it, it would break... Just like a girl. He learned from her that those that he cared about, the girls especially were to be treated with the same gentle tenderness with which he treated the finest of china at home. Hermione however was different, he treated her with the respect and gentleness he treated the roses at home with. Even though she herself was the rose, tender, easily bruised, easily broken, easily hurt, she still had thorns that could maim if you tangled with her wrong.

He looked over at Hermione for a moment to thank her, noticing that she had picked up on a few of his etiquette skills, and held the glass with a grace he'd never seen in another girl.

Mr. Granger nodded, before turning and leaving. He went back into the den, and in a voice that was supposed to be too quiet for the teens to hear he said. "Do you think there's something going on between those two?"

Mrs. Granger knew for a fact that there was, but she approved of the boy, and as long as he made her Hermione happy, she didn't mind, however, she was sure that her daughter didn't want them to know quite yet so she shook her head. "No I don't think so, they're just good friends dear." she said.

He nodded. "I know that I'm being unreasonable, but I'm not sure if I want Hermione hanging around him."

"Why not? He's a good boy; I can see it in his eyes. Trust me, he wouldn't do anything to hurt her, I know he wouldn't."

Mr. Granger nodded. "Alright, I'll give him a chance, but if he does anything-"

"You won't be able to keep them apart. Can't you tell that Hermione has a crush on him? I'm pretty sure that he's also got an eye on her, it's not hard to notice." she said, cutting him off.

He nodded before sitting back to watch the tele. Hermione leaned her forehead into Draco's shoulder, stifling a laugh.

"Does she know?" he questioned.

"I didn't get my observation skills from my father as you can tell. She knows." she replied. "It's okay, she likes you. She may even fancy you a bit."

Draco's eyes widened slightly and one of his eyebrows rose. "Sorry, but she's not really my type." he replied, making Hermione laugh again.

"She had better not be." she said. "I'm pretty sure that you're mine."

"Heart and soul." he replied, placing a very chaste kiss on her lips.

She smiled, taking his hand and leading him upstairs. When they got to her room, she closed and locked the door, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. His arms wound around her waist, pulling her close. Her arms were folded between them, her palms resting lightly on his chest. They pulled apart for a moment, before he once more pressed a kiss to her lips.

They stood for a good few minutes lost in their own world, in each other before a knock pulled them apart. Draco went over and sat down on the air mattress, laying back on the soft surface as Hermione opened the door. Mrs. Granger stood there, a knowing smile on her face.

"Might I speak with the two of you?" she questioned.

Hermione nodded, stepping back to let her in before closing the door once more. Draco stood, standing at the end of Hermione's bed as she and her mother sat down on the edge of it.

"Is it safe to leave you two alone in here at night?"

Hermione frowned. "Of course, why wouldn't it-"

"You two are together, I can see it Hermione." she said.

Hermione nodded. "Of course."

Mrs. Granger smiled. "What I mean is... I don't suppose you two are... That far into the relationship are you?"

Hermione frowned, not sure what she meant, but it was Draco who answered. "No." he said.

Mrs. Granger nodded. "Well, at least that's in my favour; I suppose you two are going to the ball together as well?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes."

Her mother looked down at her hand, reaching over to pick it up. "What's this?"

"It's a ring." Hermione said.

"I know that. What's it for? What's the crest on it mean?"

"Well..." Hermione trailed off, looking to Draco for help.

"It's a promise ring. That's the Malfoy family crest." Draco replied.

Mrs. Granger looked surprised. "Promise ring?" she questioned slowly. "You mean...?"

Draco nodded. "I wish to ask for her hand, but I suppose I would have to run that by her father."

Mrs. Granger nodded. "Most definitely." she said. "However, if it makes you feel any better I'm sure that he will approve. He's all talk, he'll do whatever makes his daughter happiest."

Draco nodded. "Thank you." he said again.

Mrs. Granger nodded. "Okay, so Hermione, I wonder if I might have a word with you alone."

Hermione stood with her mother following her into the master bedroom, sitting on the bed.

"You know you have to be safe right?"

"Mum, there's nothing like that in the wizarding world, there's just a spell-"

"Okay, but you have to remember to be careful, unless of course you want that boy's baby."

Hermione frowned. "I would like children, but not yet. I'm not even sure if he can make children yet... Some guys can't."

Her mother nodded in agreement. "Well just remember, don't do anything that you will regret. You're sure that you want to be with the first boy who tells you he loves you, forever?"

"He doesn't just say it, I know he does." Hermione replied. "I can see it."

Her mother smiled. "I never said he didn't, I just want to make sure that you're positive that he's the one you want, till death does you part?"

"Forever and for always." Hermione replied.

Mrs. Granger nodded. "Well, I'm not sure when he's going to ask your father, but you do have as long as you need, you'd best get back to him before he gets into trouble with your 'muggle' stuff."

Hermione laughed before standing and exiting the room, opening her door just as Draco was reaching for something. "What are you doing?"

He turned quickly. "Sorry, I was just looking, I didn't hurt anything."

"I know you didn't." she replied. "What did you find so interesting?"

She closed the door and moved over to sit on her bed as Draco picked up her iPod, flipping it around in his fingers, looking over it. She held out her hand for it, picking up her headphones from the desk. "Here, let me see it." she said.

He handed it over, and she unplugged it, turning it on and plugging in the headphones. "Here, you just take this, and rest it in your ear like this..." she said, placing the earphone into his ear properly."And then, you just move your thumb around this circle and that moves the blue line on the screen so you can pick a song."

He watched what she was doing, seemingly fascinated by what was happening. She placed the other side in her own ear before choosing a song by Skillet. Draco jumped when the song started, but other than that, he didn't seem too bothered by it. He sat still for a moment, listening to the lyrics of 'Comatose' before smiling. "Why don't we have things like this in the wizarding world?" he questioned, more to himself than Hermione.

She laughed. "If you like this, wait till you see my laptop."

Draco frowned, looking over and slightly down at the tops of her legs. "What?"

"It's a muggle thing. It's a computer that doesn't need to be plugged in."

"Computer?"

"Right, umm... It's like this, only a lot bigger, and has buttons instead of a pad." she said, holding up the iPod.

He nodded. "Okay... Where might this wonder be?"

She smiled, turning off the iPod and pulling the headphones out, placing everything on the desk as she went over to her bookshelf, taking down her laptop. She brought it back, opening it as she sat, pressing the power button until it illuminated. Draco watched as the screen turned on, frowning as it came to the homepage and she quickly pressed enter, and entered her password.

It took another few moments for her desktop to come up, and she double clicked on the Internet, checking her e-mails quickly. She was surprised as the home-screen came up telling her that she had eighty-six new e-mails. She went through them, marking most of them as read without opening them, before opening a few from her family and friends. Draco seemed to be reading along with her, and she purposely skipped the few from one of her old muggle admirers. After she finished, she began explaining how it worked to the best of her ability, and before she knew it, it had been nearly an hour. She shut down the computer, and put it away, noticing Draco stretching slightly.

"You do that a lot, is there something wrong with your back?" she questioned.

Draco looked over at her. "And my shoulders." he admitted.

Hermione shook her head, locking the door before moving over to him. "Okay, just take off your shirt and lay on the bed on your stomach." she said.

Draco frowned, but still stood and pulled his shirt up and over his head, doing as she said. He crossed his arms, and lay his head on them, closing his eyes as Hermione straddled his waist, her hands beginning to work on his lower back first. He tensed when she reached a particularly sore part, and the pressure from her hands eased up slightly, kneading away the knots and strains. He let out a sigh as the massage began to feel better, and his muscles began to loosen up. Truthfully, he'd never had a massage before, but if he had, one from Hermione still would have been better. After a while, he was actually almost falling asleep as her hands slid over his back, that is until he noticed her touch change. He opened his eyes when her fingers slid gently over the contours of his shoulders, and down his back.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Checking for any more tenseness." she replied, her voice soft.

He didn't reply, just leaned up onto his elbows. She was just in time to hold back a gasp as she watched the way his muscles moved under his skin. He looked back over his shoulder at her. "Would you mind taking your weight off of me for a moment?" he questioned.

She did as he asked, lifting her body. She watched as he turned over under her, laying back and resting his head on his hands. "Okay, you can sit back down now." he said with a smirk.

She blushed, looking down. "You're sure?"

"Why not?"

She slowly lowered her weight once more, and Draco was almost surprised at his warm she was, her legs were hot as they rested against his sides. He watched as she reached out again, her fingers brushing softly over his stomach, pausing as they reached just above his navel. He looked up to see that her eyes were staring at a spot just a bit lower. He didn't move as her fingers trailed down, he wasn't sure what she was doing, but he could see the bare curiosity in her eyes. She paused once more, looking up into his eyes, almost as if she was asking if it was okay for her to be doing this. He just smiled.

She looked back down, before her fingers trailed over the one line of fine hair that ended just below his belly-button. He tensed slightly when her fingers reached the waistband of his boxers, which were just under an inch above his pants. He leaned up onto his elbows again, and she stopped, looking up again, a blush on her face.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, I don't mind." he said. "You can do whatever you want."

Taking a breath, she looked down once more, the last time, her fingers continuing down until they reached the button on his jeans. His eyes widened as she popped the button open with confidence, before pulling the zipper down. He reached out, grabbing onto one of her wrists. "What are you doing?"

Hermione looked away toward the wall. "I-I just... I'm just curious." she said. "I've never...-"

Draco frowned as she cut off. "You've never... Done anything at all?"

"No, my first kiss was you." she replied with another blush.

"Well, o-okay, but, shouldn't we maybe do this later?"

She nodded. "Okay, if you want we can either wait until my parents are asleep, or until tomorrow."

"How about later tonight?" he questioned, brushing his hand over the side of her face, tilting her head up.

She smiled an embarrassed little smile. "Okay."

He nodded, before pulling her down for a soft kiss. "If you're curious about anything, you can just ask you know."

"Does it hurt?" she questioned, her eyes widening as she realized that those words were the first thing out of her mouth.

"What?"

She actually had to think for a moment. "Does it hurt...? The first time, is it painful?"

Draco looked over at the wall for a moment. "I've heard that there's blood, and I've also heard of girls that cry. I don't know if that's because their partner was too fast, or too rough, all I know is that I'm going to do my best not to hurt you." he replied.

She nodded. "Okay, so... What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Is it really... Like does it..." she cut off again, frowning as she bit her lip, trying to think of how to word it. "You've had sex before."

He nodded, even though it wasn't a question, and she continued. "Well, you- it's hard to try to word it."

"Just say it." he said.

"Okay, well, how is it... For you?" she questioned.

He raised an eyebrow. "I've never... Done anything with someone like you, like a virgin. But it's... Comfortable? And warm... I don't know how to explain it..."

"Maybe you can show me?" she questioned.

He smirked. "Maybe."

He reached out, taking her hand in his, bringing it up slightly. He took hold of her first finger. "I just need one." he said with a laugh.

She folded down her other fingers, watching as he opened his mouth, his lips sliding softly over her skin before his tongue pressed on the underside of her finger, pushing it up to the roof of his mouth. Her eyes widened as he pulled her hand back slowly, before pulling it forward again a few times, and finally releasing her.

She blinked when the cool air hit the moisture on her skin, cooling it instantly. "Oh, um... That was... Interesting."

"Pleasureful more like." Draco said, laying back, crossing his arms behind his head once more.

She leaned down, crossing her arms over his chest, and resting her chin on them. "I'm still curious."

"Ask away." he replied with a smile.

"How's my kissing?"

He smiled. "A little bit unsure, but better than most."

"And since you pride yourself in having seen my glorious upper body, how's that?"

He moved his arms, his hands trailing up her sides to cup her breasts. "This part?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"I like them, they're just the perfect size and softness-" he paused for a moment, his thumbs flicking over her nipples softly. "And this part is oh so sensitive and reacts so well to the slightest touch."

She closed her eyes for a moment, before smiling. "And you're not bothered by anything else?"

"Not at all." he replied.

"And what do you like most about me?"

Draco frowned in thought. "More than these?" he questioned, giving her breasts a quick but gentle squeeze. She nodded.

He smiled, and his hands moved over her sides and around her back. "This." he replied as his hands came to a halt on her backside.

"Really?" she questioned. "I don't see anything very interesting about it."

Draco shrugged. "Why don't you get up and show me, and maybe I can come to a clear decision."

Hermione smiled before standing from the bed, kicking the air-mattress out of the way before taking off the sweater and turning her back on Draco, looking over her shoulder.

"The shirt too, I can't quite see." he said.

Hermione pulled off the shirt without a second thought, so caught up in what they were doing that she didn't even bother being humble or self-conscious. Draco let out a low whistle, and she couldn't help but move her hips slightly from side to side.

"I was right, that is my favourite part." he said with a smile.

Hermione smiled in return, turning on the spot. "Well then, I guess I don't have to worry about you not looking at my face, which is up here. Draco" she commented.

Draco's eyes snapped from her scantly covered breasts to her face. "Sorry, I was lost within the beautiful curves of your gorgeous body." he said.

She smiled. "Hm, as long as it's only me." she said.

"Most definitely." he said.

Hermione smiled, before picking up the shirt to pull it back on. She sat on the bed once again, reaching out to do up the front of his jeans. "So... Now that that's over, what did you want to do?"

"I could go for a walk now." he said.

Hermione looked out the window, guessing that they had perhaps an hour before it was completely dark outside. "Okay, we can go ask." she said.

Draco stood, pulling on his shirt before picking up his sweater to give it to Hermione. "Here, this one might be a bit warmer." he said.

She smiled, taking the sweater and pulling it on. "Thanks."

"No problem." he replied, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

They left her room, going down the stairs and into the den. "Hey mum?" Hermione questioned. "Can we go for a walk now?"

Mrs. Granger looked over at them from the TV smiling lightly. "Sure hon, be back by dark."

Hermione took Draco's hand, leading him over to the door, leaving quietly. Once outside, she let him go, moving forward a few paces, before spinning in a few circles. "This has been a great day." she said.

Draco caught her hand, pulling her back and into him. "It most definitely has." he replied.

She laughed before beginning to walk again, taking his hand once they rounded the corner at the end of the walkway. They walked together hand in hand; going to a small shop not too far away that was open until around ten. They went inside, sitting together at one of the tables.

"What can I get for you?" a middle-aged woman asked with a soft smile.

Hermione looked up at her. "A cappuccino." she replied.

The woman turned to Draco. "And you?"

Draco frowned. "What she said." he replied before smiling.

Hermione bit her lip lightly to hold back a laugh. Draco, the slick, ladies man in the wizarding world, was actually quite awkward when it came to the muggle world, and it was quite funny to her.

He looked back at her, a questioning expression in his eyes. She smiled. "It's like coffee, just a lot sweeter." she said, answering his un-worded question.

He nodded, before sitting back in the chair to wait. Once the waitress returned, and set the cup in front of him, he frowned, leaning over to look down into the white frothy top of it. He looked up as Hermione took a sip of hers, and mirrored her. It was sweet, but still had an underlying taste of coffee and cream. He found that he liked the taste of it quite a bit.

Once they had finished, Hermione looked out of one of the windows, guessing that they had maybe twenty minutes to get home. "Okay, we should probably start heading back." she said.

Draco's attention snapped from the counter where another waitress was ringing something through the till, to Hermione. "Okay."

-

Draco sighed as he laid reading on the air mattress. Hermione was talking to her parents in their room since they were going to sleep quite soon, even though it was just after nine. It didn't make much sense to him. He didn't know how people could go to sleep so early. He heard the door open and close before the lock clicked into place. The mattress moved, and suddenly Hermione was laying on him, the added weight not bothering him even though it made him sink a little farther into the rubber surface of the mattress. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, laying her chin on her arm as she read the book he was holding. "What are you reading?" she questioned.

Draco flipped the book over to show her the title, looking back at her from the corner of his eye. Her eyes widened. "And... You got this from the school library?"

"Of course not." he said with a laugh. "I bought it."

Her mouth dropped open slightly. "Why would you buy a book titled 'Fornication of the Best and Worst Kinds'?" she questioned.

He smirked. "I'm a sixteen year old guy, what other thoughts reside in my labyrinth mind?"

She rolled off of him, sitting in her own bed. "Is it a good book?" she questioned.

He nodded. "Of course, listen to this passage-"

"I don't think I want to." she said.

He rolled his eyes. "It's got nothing to do with the act, it's more of the physical and emotional attachment you feel." he said.

"Oh, go on then."

He looked down. "Thinking over the many times I never managed to get emotionally attached to the people I slept with; I can't believe that it was so easy for me to use them like that. When I look at her, the one, the only girl I could ever love now, I realize how hard it must have been for the others. I wonder how many girls I made cry, I wonder how many of them second-guessed their attractiveness, their beauty when I never wrote back. I'm not sure if I should say this, but I'm sorry for all of it. It's best to wait for the one that you know you can love forever, than spend one night with someone who means nothing to you." he finished, looking up at Hermione who had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Is it true then?" she questioned. "Is it a better choice?"

Draco closed the book, tossing it onto the floor. "Yes, it is a better choice." he replied.

"How many girls have you slept with?" she questioned.

Draco sighed again, scratching the back of his neck. "A few." he replied.

"How many is a few?"

"I-I don't know." he said, rolling onto his back.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't remember most of them, their names, or what they looked like, each time I try, all I can see is you."

Hermione wasn't sure if she should be bothered or flattered by that comment, but she just chose to ignore it.

"What about you?" he questioned. "You said that you never did anything at all with anyone, why?"

"I was waiting." Hermione said, lying on her side facing him.

"For what?"

"Well I thought that if the time ever came, if you ever saw me as more than a friend, then... Well..." she paused.

"You were waiting... For me?" he questioned.

"Yes, for you." she said, closing her eyes. "I never wanted anyone else. I never wanted to be touched or kissed by anyone other than you, but, I probably wouldn't have waited forever, not even for you."

"You mean to tell me that-" he rolled onto his side, pushing himself up so he was level with her. "You never thought about anyone else. You never had fantasies about anyone?"

"No one." she said, reaching out to brush her thumb over his bottom lip lightly. "Only you."

He let out a breath, and Hermione sat up, looking at him as he closed his eyes. "Is there something wrong?" she questioned.

He shook his head, seeming to be concentrating on something. "No, there's nothing wrong." he said. "But you, everything about you, how you could say something like that, so innocently, it just... I can't stop it."

She frowned, crossing her arms. "You can't stop what?"

He moved forward, his arms wrapping around her waist as his body moved in between her legs. "I can't stop myself from wanting you, and only you."

She blushed and he smiled. "Are you still curious Hermione?" he questioned.

Her eyes snapped down to him. "Yes... Why?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Because right at this moment, I have something for you to be curious about." he replied.

She frowned before realization dawned in her chocolate eyes. "You-" she cut off and Draco nodded with a slightly embarrassed smile.

She moved back, and he crawled up onto the bed with her, sitting cross-legged in front of her. Her eyes trailed down without conscious thought, and widened as they fixed upon what the thick fabric of his jeans couldn't hide. "I-I don't know what... To do." she said.

He smiled. "It's okay." he said. "You don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

She looked back up at him, noticing that there was not only a spark of lust within his eyes, but also the dimming light of pain. "Does it... Hurt?" she questioned.

"It's a little uncomfortable. Jeans aren't really the most forgiving fabric."

Her eyes widened again as she figured out what he was saying. "Do- is there anything you can do?"

"I can just ignore it..." he said. "Or, there's the other alternative."

"Which is?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You or I could 'take care' of it. I'm guessing it's going to have to be the former for now."

Hermione almost nodded, but she caught sight of him shifting uncomfortably, and thought back to the look of pain in his eyes. She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his, pushing on his chest to make him lay back.

"Hermione, really, its okay-" he began as she pulled away.

"I'm still curious remember Draco?" she questioned, straddling him as she did before. She pushed his shirt up, undoing his jeans. Draco closed his eyes as the uncomfortable, even painful restriction ended, only to open them once again as cold air hit his heated skin.

He tried to sit up, but Hermione only pushed him back down. "Seriously, it's-" he was cut off as all the air left his lungs in one sharp almost unpleasant moment.

Hermione knelt above him, one of her hands pressing into his chest to keep him down, while her other worked below. She wasn't watching what she was doing; rather she was watching his face, her chocolate brown eyes observing every expression, every wince and every tick. Moments before his eyes rolled back with pleasure he also noticed that she was blushing. Not brightly, but her cheeks were pink enough for it to be noticeable. She wasn't blushing because of what she was doing, or because of Draco's reactions, she was blushing because of the size of him. She didn't know enough about any of this to know if he was average, or large, or whatever, all that she knew was that to her, with her small hands he was well above average.

She didn't know how long it lasted, or what exactly was happening, all she knew was that Draco was relaxing with each moment and she moved her hand off of his chest, reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes which opened.

She gasped as she saw the level of pleasure, love and devotion in the silvery orbs just before they slid closed again. He arched his back and for a moment everything, time, the world, even his breathing stopped. Hermione was almost surprised when he actually dropped back onto the bed, trying hard to even out his breaths. It took a minute, but he finally composed himself, reaching into one of his back pockets to take out a handkerchief to hand it to Hermione who blushed and used it to clean off her hand.

"I'm not sure what to say about that other than thanks." he said.

She smiled, an embarrassed little smile, which he returned, sitting up and making himself decent before pulling her in for a soft kiss. "You're welcome." she said as he pulled back.

He just smiled and kissed her again, and again, and once more, the last the longest, the most possessive of all of them.

-

A week found them both sitting in the car again, on their way back to King's Cross station to the Yule ball. Truth was they were supposed to stay at the school for the holidays, but Hermione's parents wanted to take the chance to meet Draco for the first time, and she didn't have a problem with it.

They were just getting onto the train, the last ones as usual and suddenly there was a crack. Everyone turned to see Narcissa Malfoy rushing towards her son and Hermione.

"Wait!" she called, stopping in front of them as they stepped onto the train. "I'll apparate you to Hogsmeade, Dumbledore wants to talk with you."

Draco stepped down, taking hold of her arm, moments before Hermione grabbed on as well. There was another crack, a moment of complete confusion and they were suddenly standing in the center of Hogsmeade. Hermione grabbed hold of Draco's shoulder, feeling light headed and slightly sick. "Just a moment please."

Draco wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her upright until she deemed herself better. Her first time apparating was almost a success...

They were led to the three broomsticks, upstairs to the rooms where Dumbledore was waiting. He motioned them to sit once they were in the room. "I hear from Narcissa here that you two are betrothed." he said.

Draco nodded, not sure how she found out, although it wasn't exactly hard for her to notice that Hermione was now wearing the Malfoy family heirloom.

"Now, there have been many students over the years that have gotten married while in school, and for such cases, special housing is of course in order." he continued.

Hermione frowned, looking at Draco before taking his hand in hers. "What kind of special housing professor?" she questioned.

"Well it is of course not a secret what married couples do while they are together, and it's also not a secret that they want time alone sometimes, that is why a room has been set up for you on the fourth corridor of the fifth floor. There is a portrait of a woman dressed in white on a golden unicorn, she is the lady of the moon, and all you need to do is say the password and she will allow you into the room, I'm sure you're already well aware of this though."

They both nodded in unison, and Dumbledore's eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "Also, there is an alarm in the room for the mornings, set at exactly eight o'clock am which will give you one half hour to get ready for breakfast."

They both nodded again, and Dumbledore stood. "I congratulate you on your union, and I hope you both live long and happy lives together." he said, offering his hand.

Draco stood first taking the old man's hand in a firm and yet still gentle grip, shaking it with care. "Thank you sir. That means a lot to me."

Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, peering over his half-moon glasses at the young Slytherin. "I heard from a little bird that you didn't like me."

Draco frowned, thinking back to second year when he actually told Crabbe and Goyle that his father thought Dumbledore was the worst thing that ever happened to the school. "No sir." he said. "My opinions have changed quite a bit since I was twelve, they don't mirror my father's anymore."

Dumbledore nodded. "And Miss Granger, I do hope you do well."

She smiled as she stood as well, taking Draco's hand with her left while shaking Dumbledore's with her right. "Thank you as well sir." she said.

"Now, I'm sure you want to be on your way. The train won't be arriving until about three hours to the ball, you have five or so left until it does, you may spend it as you wish here in Hogsmeade until you decide you want to return to the school." Dumbledore said.

They both nodded once again before saying their goodbyes to both the headmaster and Narcissa. She held onto her son just a slight bit longer than usual, obviously saying something to him once again. He nodded, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek before striding over to Hermione, taking her hand and leaving the three broomsticks pub.

"So where did you want to go?" he questioned.

"How about if we go to Honeydukes, then Flourish and Blotts, you can choose after that." she said.

Draco smiled. "Anything for you love."

He let go of her hand for a moment to adjust his sweater under his pack when a wail of his name was heard, followed quickly by crunching snow under running feet. "Oh no, not her..." he groaned.

Hermione turned a scowl on her face as she saw pug-face Pansy running toward them. Draco had yet to turn and she looked over at him to see that he had one hand over his eyes, his expression grim. At the last moment he turned to brace for impact.

Pansy vaulted herself at Draco, her arms locking around his neck. "Did you miss me Drakey?" she simpered.

Hermione rolled her eyes, wrinkling her nose at the love-struck tone of the other girl's voice. Draco placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back and away from himself. "Pansy..."

"Yes Drakey."

"First off, stop calling me by that stupid pet name, second, you're a bit late, and third what the hell are you doing here?"

Pansy pouted, crossing her arms to look put-off, but it only made her look more like a pug than ever. "I have a job here at Zonko's Joke Shop." she said. "And what do you mean; I'm too late, too late for what?"

Draco squeezed the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "You really shouldn't make advances on someone if you don't know any details. I'm engaged Pansy." he said.

She took a step back. "Engaged? T-to whom?"

Draco looked skyward and Hermione couldn't help but smile. "I'm engaged to a girl, someone you know very well."

"Is it arranged?"

"No, it's my choice, I love her Pansy." Draco replied. "I'm sorry; I know you have a crush on me and everything... You're just... Not my type."

"Who is she?" Pansy questioned.

Draco hesitated, not sure if he should actually tell her.

"Please Draco; I'm not going to get upset I promise. I do have a crush on you but it's a school-girl thing. I knew that I never had a chance." she sounded... Normal. She wasn't simpering, or whining as usual.

Draco frowned. "It's... It's Hermione." he said.

"The mud-gleborn?" she quickly corrected herself, but Hermione knew what word she was going to use and crossed her arms.

"I'm standing right here." she said indignantly.

Pansy smiled apologetically. "Sorry, it's a reflex."

Hermione huffed. "If you say so."

"So... How'd you two get together?"

"I don't know know, it just happened." Draco said.

"Oh... Okay, I should be getting back to work. I hope you two... Have a good life together." she said, before turning and walking away.

Draco let out an audible breath. "That went better than I thought." he said, rubbing his temples.

Hermione smiled and took his arm, leading him away toward Honeydukes.

-

They bought a few things in Honeydukes, and Hermione bought a couple of books in Flourish and Blotts, and then Draco decided that they should start back toward the school. They walked together hand in hand, their parcels successfully shrunk and placed in their packs, talking quietly to each other.

Once back to the school they searched out the portrait in the fourth corridor of the fifth floor, taking maybe ten minutes to find her within the hundreds of paintings lining the walls. She looked up from whatever she had been doing, smiling a brilliant smile. "Yes, the engaged couple." she said, her voice containing a haunting lilt. "Dumbledore told me you would be arriving."

Hermione and Draco looked at each other for a moment before Hermione turned back toward the woman. "We don't know what the password is." she said.

"Oh, no hun, you're supposed to make one, one that only the two of you know."

Draco looked down at Hermione for a moment, before smiling. "I think it should be a muggle word..." he said with a slight wink as Hermione looked at him.

"A muggle word?"

"Yeah, something that you cherish."

Hermione thought for a moment before looking at the woman in the portrait. "White Fang." she said with confidence.

The woman smiled. "White Fang it is. I will remember you two, so if someone comes by and wants in, I won't let them in, even if they have the correct password." she said before the painting swung around and open to reveal the portrait hole into the room.

The two of them stepped into the room, looking around for a moment. "So what's White Fang?" Draco questioned.

"It's a muggle book, my mother gave it to me on my tenth birthday, I've had it with me since." she replied.

Draco nodded. "This is nice; it's a little too bright though."

Hermione laughed. "That's only because we're in a tower instead of being in the dungeons." she replied. "It's only bright because you're not used to it."

Draco shrugged. Looking around he also noticed that there weren't any portraits in the room either. "Dumbledore was serious about the whole privacy thing wasn't he?"

Hermione looked around as well, nodding. "Yeah."

Draco moved to sit on the couch while Hermione went into their bedroom. The candles lining the walls all flared to life the moment she stepped foot inside. There weren't any portraits or windows in this room. The entire room was decorated in Slytherin colors, even the bathroom, which was off to the left was green and silver. The candles didn't flicker or anything, they cast a low, almost romantic glow around the room. The bed was high and looked to be quite comfortable, the pillows decorated with the Slytherin house colors. The only thing that seemed to be off was that there were no curtains around the bed, and it wasn't one of the normal high four poster beds that were found at Hogwarts. Above the head of the bed in brilliant shades of silver, gold, green, brown and blue was the Malfoy family crest. Hermione was sure that had been Narcissa's idea.

She returned to the sitting room, seeing that Draco was sitting on the couch, leaning forward to talk to a small figure that was making the fire.

She frowned, moving forward to stand behind the couch. The elf turned his big brown eyes toward her. "Dobby is very sorry missus." he said, looking ashamed. "He was told to make the fire before the missus and her love were to get here. Dobby was busy with the lunch preparations, and he thought that he would be able to finish it once he was done. He didn't know that you would be here."

Hermione smiled. "It's okay Dobby, I don't mind."

Draco shrugged. "Continue on Dobby. It was nice to see you again."

Hermione frowned. "Draco, is this the elf that Potter tricked your father into freeing?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, this is Dobby; he was a house elf for the Malfoy family. Truthfully, I thought of freeing him myself a few times, but I never did-"

"Because of your father." Hermione finished.

Dobby was staring at them his eyes wider than before and his mouth hanging open just slightly. "Master Draco wished to free me?" he questioned, surprised.

"Yes Dobby." Draco said, reaching up and taking Hermione's hand in his. "I did not like the way that you were treated at the manor." he said.

Dobby smiled sadly. "Dobby was treated like vermin sir."

Draco sighed. "You were, but you're happier here right?"

Dobby beamed. "Quite right sir. Dobby is finished lighting the fire sir, is there anything else you would like?"

Hermione leaned down over Draco as he spoke. "Not right yet Dobby." he said with a smile.

-

Later Draco waited for Hermione at the foot of the stairs, pacing slightly. Others had either passed him or stopped to speak briefly with him, but other than that, most people left him alone. He turned his back on the stairs for a few minutes to speak with Blaise though, turning only when Blaise's eyes widened and he stared over his shoulder.

"Wow... She looks amazing." he commented.

Draco turned, and the sight that me him would have left him breathless had he not remembered to breathe at the last second. Hermione stood at the top of the stairs, a blush on her face as people stopped to stare at her.

She wore a long flowing blood red gown that perfectly accentuated her curves. Around her waist was a long and thick sash of silver, and if Draco wasn't wrong, it was almost the exact same shade as his eyes. On her finger, charmed to be more noticeable was her promise ring, and just above that was a silver and emerald bracelet that Draco had given her in the third year. Her hair was magicked into place, seeming less frizzy, and curlier, even though it was tied up. There were silver streaks in her bangs which were straightened and framed her face perfectly. She wore little makeup, black and silver eyeliner with green eyeshadow. She wore heels, not for the first time, but with the infrequency that she did wear them, it may as well have been. They were blood red as well, with silver straps. From what Draco could see, the dress and shoes had been charmed to be different colors, and as usual the charm was flawless.

She walked slowly down the stairs, obviously unsure of herself. Draco met her at the bottom, offering his arm with a smile. He wore just a normal dress robe, black with a white tie, and although it was just normal, he managed to pull it off beautifully. Over the dress robe was a cloak, deep forest green, and he led Hermione not to the dance floor, but down the hall and around the corner.

"You are so beautiful." he said with a smile. "And maybe if you'd told me the colors you would be wearing, I would have chosen something a bit more suitable."

Hermione laughed. "Of course."

She pulled one side of her dress up, taking her wand out of her knee-high stockings. "Okay, so..." she began.

By the time she had finished, which wasn't more than maybe a minute or two, Draco was dressed in black robes, as before, but his cloak was the exact shade of her dress. The tie was silver instead of white, and the tie clip and cufflinks were green instead of gold.

"There you go." Hermione said, brushing invisible dust from the front of his robes. "Impeccable as always."

He smiled and placed a soft kiss on her lips before taking her into the ball room. They were one of the last couples to arrive, other than the three triwizard champions, and they were the center of attention, as they should have been. They walked down the center aisle, before turning to the left to stand at the front of the crowd.

Draco held his head high, obviously proud of the fact that Hermione stood out like a rose in a vase full of daisies, as did he. Hermione stood next to him, her arm in his and her head just as high. Her cheeks were tinged with the slightest bit of pink, but her pride could have matched Draco's if given a chance. She was proud of the fact that finally people were noticing her. More than half of the boys in the school were staring at her, and being the way she was, always in the background to most, she thought she deserved it, which she did. The music started and after the triwizard trio danced, Hermione and Draco were first onto the floor after Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. It seemed as if people were too busy watching them to notice that they were supposed to dance then as well. Draco held her close, noticing that she seemed unsure of the steps once again.

"Step, step, spin Hermione." he said softly, so she could just hear him over the music. She nodded, doing as he said her form and grace flawless.

Once the song ended and another started, Hermione began to notice that a circle had begun to form around them, some people watching them, others dancing with their partners.

"They're not there Hermione." Draco said as he noticed her falter. "Look at me; I'm the only one here."

She looked up and their eyes locked, and suddenly, he was right. She saw the way he looked at her, saw the love and devotion in his eyes and knew all at once that they really weren't there. She and Draco were the only ones that mattered. He was the only one who meant anything to her; he was the only one she would ever be able to see again. She closed her eyes, leaning her head on his shoulder, and they were back in the room of requirement. They were alone once more.

She smiled softly to herself, her hand tightening just a fraction in Draco's. She felt an answering squeeze and looked up once more. Her steps were fluid, completely relaxed and natural, as if she'd grown up dancing, and Draco noticed the change.

The song had yet to end, and soon more people stopped to watch them. Even Dumbledore had to pause to watch them. He had to admit that while he had seen many couples come and go through the school, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy had to be the most fitting. No, Hermione Malfoy.

He smiled slightly to himself before going to sit at the teacher's table, picking up a pumpkin pasty. He watched the two most extravagantly dressed of the entire ball, and wondered why Miss Patil hadn't put in that much thought to her outfit. It was simple, pink and orange, the colors didn't even go well together and to think, she was dancing with one of the triwizard champions. Dumbledore had to shake his head. Mr. Potter would have had a better date by asking Hermione, or maybe not, if Draco found out.

Not even Miss Delecour was as well put together as Hermione, and since her grandmother was a veela, that was saying quite a bit. It was almost disappointing. Everyone seemed to be wearing light colours, except for the students from Durmstrang of course, all of them were in bright cherry red, but not even that could compare to the colours that the engaged couple was wearing. If he hadn't known they were engaged before, he would definitely know now. Miss Granger was quite good with her charms, even from a distance, your eye was drawn to the ring, and he was sure that it was what quite a few people were staring at.

He sat back in his high-backed chair, one of his hands moving slightly with the rhythm of the music. As disappointing as it seemed to be, the ball was quite a hit. The students all seemed to be enjoying themselves, especially the pair clad in red and black.

Hermione was finally broken from her perfect world when the song ended and Draco bowed low, kissing her hand gently. "Thank you." he said, just loud enough for her to hear over the applause.

She smiled. "Anytime." she replied.

They didn't notice that a certain Gryffindor was seated off to the side; his face flushed an angry pink that clashed horribly with his red hair. He watched them as they left the dance floor, sitting at another empty table. He got up, breathing deeply to calm himself, checking his robes, which had been modified and looked almost normal. As normal as hundred year old robes could get. He strode over to Draco and Hermione, nodding curtly at Draco before extending his hand to Hermione.

"Uh, do you want to dance?" he questioned.

Draco frowned, anger boiling just beneath the surface. Hermione looked from him to Ron and back. "It's only one dance Draco, it won't hurt." she said.

He nodded, his teeth gritted together too tightly to say anything as he watched her reach out to take Ron's hand, her touch delicate, almost as if she didn't want to touch too much of his hands at once. He led her onto the dance floor just as another slow song started, his hand coming to rest on her waist.

Draco was actually glad that he'd left his wand in their room for the night, or he would have hexed Weasley for even looking Hermione's way. He acted like a total prat, and then had the nerve to ask her to dance. If that idiot had a crush on her, he sure had a strange way of showing it. One good thing however was that Hermione didn't seem to be enjoying herself, and Ron didn't seem to notice the way her eyes always moved back to Draco, or how she seemed completely discontented.

Once the dance was over and Hermione was making her way back to Draco, another boy from Durmstrang tapped her shoulder lightly, asking her in a heavy accent whether she wanted to dance. She politely excused herself, telling him that she needed a drink, but she may save a dance for him later. He seemed happy with that, and walked away to find some other girl.

Hermione flopped down next to Draco, the charms holding her hair up beginning to fade as it fell into levels of disarray. She looked up at the wall where a large clock had been placed just for the occasion. The ornate hands pointed to the roman numerals, telling her that it was after midnight.

She sighed. "It looks like the enchantment has worn off." she said to herself.

"What?" Draco questioned, turning his attention toward her.

She shook her head, lifting one small part of her dress where an area about as big as her fist had begun to turn black. "Everything's going back to normal." she said, standing. "Let's go Draco, I'm tired."

He stood with her, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs. By the time they got to the portrait, the bottom foot of her flowing gown was black, and was steadily bleeding upwards through the red. Her shoes had already become a boring flat black shade, and her hair was tumbling down in curly masses. They said the password in unison, before entering the room. Hermione went directly to the couch, laying down on it on her side, her legs curled up to allow more room for her. "I'm sorry Draco, I was thinking of you when I cast the charm, I didn't think anyone else would touch the dress, or else we could have stayed longer." she said.

He shrugged, sitting on the soft rug in front of the couch, reaching over and unstrapping her heels, pulling them off and placing them next to the fireplace. "It's okay, I don't mind, I'm just happy that I got to dance with you at all again."

Hermione smiled, her eyes closed. "Thank you." she said, her voice already sounding groggy.

It seemed as if she was telling the truth when she said she was tired, and Draco was sure that for someone like her, it had been a very emotionally draining day.

He stood once again, picking her up without a problem, he didn't even jostle her enough to wake her. With one arm around behind her back, and the other under her knees, he walked toward the bedroom door, kicking it open, and laying her on the bed. He turned her slightly, knowing that by then she was so deeply asleep that she wouldn't wake, and unzipped the now plain black dress. He untied the sash, and pulled the dress down, glad that she had enough sense to wear a bra. He folded the dress neatly, putting it on the dresser before getting her tank top that she slept in, pulling it over her head and down over her breasts and stomach, his touch not lingering an longer than it should have. Finally he lifted her legs and pulled the blanket up over her, before getting ready for bed himself.

He lay down beside her, wrapping his arms securely around her waist, and pulling her close. He placed a kiss on her shoulder, saying his nightly 'I love you' before closing his eyes and joining her in sleep.

-

Draco was woken the next morning by a loud knocking on the portrait door. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his face with both hands before looking down to see Hermione sleeping soundly.

He got up, wincing slightly as his feet touched the frigid stone floor, and walked to the portrait door, scratching the back of his neck with a yawn. He rubbed his shoulder lightly as he pushed the door open, knowing that he was dressed in nothing but a pair of loose muggle sweatpants, but not caring much. "What?"

Blaise stood on the other side, his hand still raised in surprise. "Oh, you're up."

"I am now." Draco replied with another yawn. "What do you want?"

"Where's Hermione?"

Draco moved as Blaise tried to look past him. "What for?" he questioned.

"Your mother wants to talk to her."

Draco sighed. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly eleven." Blaise replied. "What did you have a late night or something?"

"No I just... Wait a second, how did you know we were here now?"

"Uhh, I talked to your mother this morning. Now get Hermione up and decent to talk to her mother in law." he said, before turning to walk away. "Oh, and tell her to go outside into the courtyard."

Draco rolled his eyes, closing the portrait door with another yawn. He didn't know why he was so tired; he just knew that he was. He went back into the bedroom seeing that Hermione had rolled onto her stomach, and was now spread-eagled on the bed. He reached out, shaking her shoulder lightly. "Hermione."

She swatted his hand away with a tired groan, snuggling deeper into the blankets. He shook her again, this time more persistently. "Hermione wake up."

She just ignored him. Putting on an urgent tone, he shook her violently. "Hermione the library's on fire, they need you!"

She sat up quickly, looking around for a moment. "What?"

Draco shook his head. "You have to get up to talk to my mother." he said.

"So the library is okay?" she questioned.

"Yes, the library is fine." he replied.

She rolled her eyes and flopped back into bed. "Tell her that I will talk to her later, around eleven thirty or something." she said groggily.

"It's after eleven now." Draco replied. "Come on, get up. Narcissa Malfoy doesn't like to be delayed."

"Just like you huh?"

"Yeah, like me." he said. "Up."

She sighed and sat up again, stretching. "Fine, you're really not a very nice person in the mornings."

"Hey, I was woken up by Blaise pounding on the door." he said, going over to his dresser to take out a muggle shirt and pull it on. He put on a muggle sweater over it, leaving it unzipped before slipping on his shoes.

"Uh, Draco?" he looked up to see Hermione standing next to the bed, looking down at herself. "I don't remember changing."

He rolled his eyes. "That might be because you were asleep." he said.

"You undressed me?" she questioned.

"I didn't think you'd be very comfortable sleeping in that floor length gown, besides I didn't do anything, just changed you into your bedclothes."

"Oh."

Draco frowned at her reply, did she sound disappointed? "Umm... Hermione, were you-" he cut off, looking her over once again. He remembered something from the night before, that she'd been wearing a skimpy black bra, and looking at her now, he saw that she was wearing the underwear to match. "Were you hoping for something to happen last night?"

She blushed a bright scarlet red. "Of course not." she said, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

He raised an eyebrow, but moved over to her none the less, wrapping one arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Oh, well, if you had been, I would have been all too happy to oblige." he said.

She blushed again, pushing him away. "I know."

He went into the other room as she got dressed, sitting on the couch until he heard her come in. Looking over he noticed that she was in a pair of jeans that looked really good on her round hips, and one of his shirts under one of his sweaters. The shirt was of course too big, and the sweater was much too long, coming down almost to her mid thighs, but she looked really good anyways. He smiled and stood from his seat, following her to the portrait door before exiting. He took her to the courtyard, seeing his mother standing in the middle of it, staring off into the grounds. He stopped about five feet from her. "Mother?" he questioned.

She turned with a smile. "Good morning Draco, Hermione." she said. "I expect that you had a good time last night at the ball."

Hermione smiled. "Of course." she replied.

"Yes, now, Hermione hon, I was wondering if perhaps I could speak with you privately for a moment."

She nodded, leaning up onto her toes to place a quick kiss on Draco's lips. "I'll be back in a minute."

He smiled, and turned to go sit on one of the many benches in the stone courtyard, watching Hermione and his mother, but not hearing a single word they were saying. He leaned back onto the bench, laying his arm across the top of it as he waited.

"Hermione... I can tell just by looking at you, the way that you hold yourself around my son that you two haven't... Done anything serious yet." Narcissa said, turning to look out over the grounds again.

Hermione followed her gaze toward the forbidden forest, seeing a small golden unicorn standing next to its mother. "no." she replied. "We haven't."

"I also know that you don't seem to be ready to lose your virginity quite yet." Narcissa continued, seemingly ignoring Hermione's words. "I know that it's a hard choice, but I want you to know that I was the one that taught Draco how to act and react around girls. I know that he seems like a prat to certain girls because of their blood, or because of the way that they look, but that's his father rubbing off on him. I always tried to

teach him that when he finds a girl, someone he can love, he is to act a certain way. No matter how horrible she may look in the morning, or whatever, he's to tell her that she's beautiful. He's to let her know that he loves her, that he cares. You should know Hermione that no matter how angry he gets with you or anyone else; he won't take it out on you. No matter how annoyed or completely enraged he is, no matter how much he wants to do it, he will never lay a violent hand on you."

Hermione just nodded, listening to her words. At least she seemed to be a bit better with this than her own mother.

"I'm sure that you know by now that he loves you." Narcissa said. "I can see it just by looking at him; he is completely devoted to you. He will never cheat on you; never will he ever even think or dream of another girl."

Hermione nodded again, watching the unicorn foal as it began to suckle its mother, its tail swishing from side to side in what seemed like either excitement or annoyance at the bugs. Narcissa watched as well, a smile crossing her face. "I do approve of you Hermione, but I wouldn't allow you around the manor until the divorce is completed, and Lucius is gone."

Hermione turned to her in surprise, her attention moving quickly from the unicorns to Narcissa. "What?"

"That's why I'm here you see." Narcissa said. "Lucius and I just aren't getting along at all. It's not healthy for Draco to be in that kind of environment. It's not healthy to witness a rape and murder when he's seventeen, it's not fair. I'm sure he's told you by now about that."

"Yeah, he told me."

"I can see it in your eyes that you're completely disgusted by something like that. Lucius is my husband, he's supposed to love, honour and cherish me until death does us part and yet he goes and does something like that. I refuse to deal with that. I won't let him stay there when he's a danger to my son."

"You love him a lot don't you?" Hermione questioned. "Draco I mean."

Narcissa smiled. "Of course I do, he's my son, the only real thing I have in this world to be proud of."

Hermione nodded. "I understand." she said.

Narcissa turned to look at her. "You know, I probably shouldn't say this, but when you are ready for him, make him work for It." she said. "Make him work so that it's more of a prize than a gift."

Hermione frowned. "Really?" she questioned. "But won't that you know... Scare him off?"

"No hon, there's nothing you could do at this moment that could scare him off." Narcissa said with a laugh. "He loves you too much."

Hermione smiled, looking off into the distance for another minute before the lunch bell began to toll. She looked up at the castle, before her eyes travelled down to Draco. He waved slightly at her, smiling her favourite grin when she waved back. Narcissa turned at the movement before patting Hermione's shoulder softly. "I was telling the truth when I said that I couldn't have picked a better girl for him." she commented before she began walking toward the castle, waving at a few students as they called out to her.

Hermione sighed, looking back for the unicorns only to see that they had retreated back into the forbidden forest. She turned back, walking toward Draco slowly, thinking over what Narcissa had said to her. It all made sense; maybe she should start playing hard to get... It might make her more interesting.

-

Classes were back in session, and everything was back to normal, except Draco. He seemed to be distancing himself from her slightly, and she was sure that he was keeping something from her. She didn't know what, but on one of the few days when he had a free block, and she was supposed to be in class, she skipped class completely, following him as he set out over the grounds, toward the covered bridge. She watched him as he stopped near the beginning, standing just inside the entrance. She peered around the corner to see him talking to someone. Pansy pug-faced Parkinson.

"She can't know." he said softly.

"I know, I'll do it, but I'm not sure how she'll react." Pansy replied.

"Neither do I." he said truthfully.

"Here, take this." Pansy said, holding out a package wrapped in brown paper. "Give it to her."

Draco looked down with a sigh taking the package from her with gentle hands. "Thanks Pansy." he said. "This means a lot to me."

"I know, but remember, she's really smart, she'll figure out that something's wrong. She'll find out, whether you give it away or not." Pansy said.

Draco laughed an almost humourless laugh. "Sometimes that intelligence of hers is more of a curse than a blessing, but this won't last long, I'm sure everything is okay."

Hermione moved back from the entrance to the bridge, her mind spinning, trying to come up with an explanation, but it always came back to the same horrid assumption. Draco was cheating on her, with Pug-Faced Parkinson no less.

She ran back to the castle silently, not giving away the fact that she had been there to listen to everything they had said. She went up to her and Draco's room, stopping in front of the portrait. "I want to change the password." she said.

The painting frowned. "What about your fiancée?"

Hermione smiled grimly. "We're not on the best of terms right now." she said.

"Well, alright, what do you want to change it to?"

"Felix Felicitous." Hermione replied.

"The luck potion?"

Hermione nodded. "I'm going to need some good luck." she said.

The portrait swung open and she stepped inside, moving over to the couch, taking out a book and opening it to read it. It was maybe ten minutes after the bell signalling the end of class rang when a knock came on the door.

She got up, pushing open the portrait door to see Draco standing on the other side. "Why exactly did you change the password?" he questioned, crossing his arms.

She shrugged, turning and walking away, hearing Draco walking behind her. "Hermione?"

She flopped down on the couch. "What were you doing today?" she questioned.

He frowned. "Nothing, I went for a walk-"

"To talk to Pansy of course, having fun with her? Is it enough of a rush for you? Sneaking around behind my back with her like some kind of thief?" her voice was completely calm, but even from where he stood Draco could see the wild glint in her eyes.

"Hermione, what's this all about?" he questioned.

"You and that slut! How dare you fuck around with her, and feign innocence!"

Draco's mouth dropped open. "I didn't do anything with her!" he said indignantly.

"Oh sure, sometimes you hate how smart I am because it helps me figure things out faster! Is that it Draco? Do you want me to act like some stupid bimbo for you?" she demanded, standing from her seat.

Draco took a step back. "I knew it! I fucking new that if you found out on your own you'd immediately think I was cheating on you or some shit!"

It was Hermione's turn to withdraw. The level of hurt, betrayal and anger in his eyes was almost enough to scare her.

"I fucking told her that I didn't want to sneak around on you, but she thought it would be a nice surprise." he hissed. "Well, goes to show you how right she was, and it also goes to show you how narrow minded you are!"

He threw the package on the couch. "Here! It's yours anyways, maybe now you'll think twice before you ever even think of accusing me of cheating again!" he turned on his heel, storming out of the room, and down the hall. Hermione sat again, surprised at his outburst.

She reached over, pulling the package closer to herself, taking the note out of the wrappings on it. She flipped it open, reading what was written in his neat scrawl.

'I know it's a bit early, but Happy Birthday Hermione. Loving you always, your Draco.'

She opened the package, standing so that she could look over what fell free without a problem. In her hands she held a black velvet cape, the strings that held it together were capped in silver, and the hood was lined with soft thick fur. She wrapped it around her shoulders, tying it around her throat before pulling the hood up. She looked over at the mirror on the far wall, seeing herself looking so much more proper, more like a noble woman than ever before. She sat on the couch, flipping the hood down. As much as she wanted to cry, the tears wouldn't come.

She stood again, leaving the cloak on as she headed for the exit, stopping just outside of the portrait door, taking out her wand and holding it in the palm of her hand. She closed her eyes, picturing Draco clearly before muttering the words "point me."

The wand lifted from her hand, the tip moving rapidly through the air as it spelled out his exact whereabouts.

'Hogwarts Library, Sixteenth Row, Table Four, Western Wall.'

She read it over a couple of times to remember, before snatching her wand out of mid air and taking off at a run toward the library.

She reached the large oak doors within a few minutes, slightly out of breath. She counted the rows until she found the sixteenth one, looking to her left to see Draco sitting at one of the tables, one of his arms crossed over his chest while his other hand rested over his eyes. He was muttering something to himself, and Hermione couldn't help but catch the words, stupid and calm down, more than once. She walked down the row, sitting across the table from him. "Draco...?"

He looked up, leaning forward to catch her hands in his. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said, I was upset and I-"

"Draco!" she said, cutting him off. "I'm not angry at you, you're right; I shouldn't have just assumed something like that."

Draco let out a breath. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you." he said.

"Your mother did tell me that you have a temper, but you'll never physically hurt me."

Draco frowned. "I wouldn't, I couldn't. I would never be able to live with myself if I did." he said.

Hermione smiled. "I know, by the way," she stood, flipping the hood of the cloak up. "How does it look?"

"All you have to do is put on a haughty expression, put one of your hands on your hip while looking at your nails, and you'd look completely normal." he said.

Hermione did as he suggested, her stance widening slightly as she leaned most of her weight on one leg, causing one of her hip to push out. She placed her hand on her outer hip, lifting her head to stare down her nose at the nails on her other hand. Her expression almost disgusted, but bordering more on being boredom.

Draco laughed. "You got it." he said.

She laughed with him, relaxing and pushing the hood down, sitting at the table with him. "I'm sorry, I really am, and I never should have doubted you."

He took her hand; pulling her to her feet and making her straddle his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's alright; I probably would have had the same reaction."

Hermione draped her arms over his shoulders, and he leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her neck before sucking softly on the spot. She closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh as she shifted forward slightly.

There was the sound of someone dropping something heavy, probably a book and Hermione pulled back from Draco, turning quickly. Madame Pince, the librarian stood there, an outraged look on her face.

"Get out!" she wailed. "Get out of my library if you're going to take part in such disgusting, vulgar behaviour!"

Hermione stood quickly, blushing furiously and staring at the floor. Madame Pince didn't take pity on her because of that though, she literally dragged the both of them to the door, pushing them out and slamming the heavy wooden panel on them.

Draco stood straight, straightening out his robes and running a hand through his hair. "Wow." he commented. "I did not expect something like that."

Hermione pushed herself away from the wall that she had landed against, pulling on the bottom of her shirt before smoothing out the shoulder of the cloak where Madame Pince had grabbed her. "What a bitch." she mumbled before beginning to walk away.

Draco caught up with her. "What does that mean exactly?" he questioned.

"A mean, nasty, and self-centered girl or woman." Hermione answered simply.

Draco nodded. "Okay, you're not any of those."

Hermione gave him a sidelong glance. "I can be though." she said.

-

Three weeks, two days, sixteen hours, and twelve minutes later, Hermione found herself sitting in her and Draco's room, in the middle of the bed, re-reading the book that Draco had gotten her for her birthday. She had already read it multiple times, but she couldn't put it down for some reason. She was so caught up in the words and pages that she didn't even notice the bathroom door open as Draco exited, towelling off his hair which was damp from the shower he'd just had.

He sat on the bed next to her, looking down at the book for a moment before shifting her hair out of the way to look at her face. That's when she noticed him. "Oh! When did you get out of the shower?" she questioned.

He shrugged. "A couple of minutes ago I guess." he replied. "It's all yours."

She nodded, closing the book and going over to her dresser. She opened the top drawer where she kept her sleeping clothes, and noticed the black box that lay within. It was a gift from Narcissa, and although she had opened it, she didn't want Draco to see what his mother had given his fiancée. She brushed her fingers over the smooth top, before flipping it open and taking out the contents, draping them over her arm, under her usual clothes. She went into the bathroom, taking a quick shower before standing at the mirror for a second, using her wand to dry her hair since she didn't want to tangle it massively by using a towel.

Looking over, the black fabric caught her eye and she picked it up, wondering if she should wear it or if she should wait. The humble side of her told her to wait, but the other side, the side that had punched Weasley, and bitched out a few other people told her to do it. For once, she listened to the more reckless side.

She pulled on the clothing, having only a bit of trouble since her skin was still wet. She looked over herself in the mirror and was surprised at what she saw. Instead of the bookworm Granger, she saw the person she always wanted to be. She saw a confident, sexy young woman, and smiled.

She pulled on the filmy fabric robe that completed the outfit before exiting the bathroom. She walked straight to the foot of the bed, leaning against the post there, clearing her throat slightly when Draco didn't look up. He heard the sound and raised his head, and for a moment, she swore that he stopped breathing.

"Um... What are you wearing?" he questioned.

"The French call it Lingerie." she replied. "It's supposed to enhance the way a woman looks. Does it work?"

"Yeah... It definitely works." he replied, sitting up slightly straighter. "But what's it for?"

She laughed slightly. "It's for you." she said, moving closer to him. "And only you."

He nodded, looking her over. "Well... I definitely like it."

She smiled. "That's good." she looked away for a moment. "I was thinking, and I think I'm ready."

Draco blinked and raised his eyebrows. "Oh. That's um... That's great. Wh- now?"

"Yes now." she laughed. "Are you nervous or something?"

"No, I just- I've never, seen you this way. It's quite different. Different in a good way of course."

"Of course."

He stood, reaching out and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You're sure?"

She smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. "Yes, I'm sure." she replied.

He leaned down to kiss her again, turning to make her sit on the bed. He knelt before her, his hands moving slowly over her legs, his fingers tracing small patterns over her skin. She leaned back onto her hands, not sure what else to do, closing her eyes as he placed a kiss on the inside of her knee, trailing them up the inside of her leg to her mid-thigh before doing the same to the other.

It didn't take him long to get completely comfortable, and a lot more bold. He pushed her up onto the bed, crawling up and over her as she shifted toward the middle. He hovered over her, his arms and legs caging her as he leaned down, pressing kisses along the top of the corset style lingerie, nipping her skin lightly. She let out a breath, arching into his ministrations slightly.

His hands trailed up her sides, his fingers catching on the raised seams and patterns of her attire. He pushed the filmy robe from her shoulders, pulling it off of her arms with ease, before sliding one of his hands under her to reach the zipper of the corset. She arched her back to give him room, letting out a breath of relief as the tight fabric released its hold on her.

Draco leaned up, pulling his shirt up and off, before quickly taking off the rest of his clothing, minus his boxers. Hermione welcomed his warmth, the feeling of his bare skin pressing against her as he leaned down again, placing a kiss on her lips. She felt the smooth silky fabric that was the only shield between them begin to slide over her and realized that he was disrobing her as well. She shifted, lifting her hips to aide in his endeavour, before lying back on the bed, her arms bent and her hands resting on either side of her head, a light blush on her face as his eyes moved over her. He slid one hand up over her stomach brushing his fingers against the underside of one of her breasts where a slight bit of moisture had managed to stay after her shower. He trailed his fingers up, brushing them lightly over one of her nipples, smiling as it hardened and peaked to his slight touch. He cupped her breast, kneading the flesh lightly, noticing that now that there was nothing to hold them, nothing to hinder them; they were slightly larger than he had first thought.

Hermione's breathing became just slightly faster, but she looked as calm as ever, her tarnished gold eyes fixed upon him. He leaned down once more, using his free hand to remove his boxers, kicking them off onto the floor. Hermione moaned as his skin pressed against hers again, and she could feel the hardness pressing against her thigh. Another kiss was given and received and this time, Hermione opened her mouth, welcoming the invasion of his tongue. He was sweet, and she tried to remember just what it was that he had for dessert at dinner, but she couldn't. Underlying the sweetness was of course- him. There was no other way to explain it, no other definition; it was just his own taste.

She felt one of his hands slide down over her hip, manoeuvring between her knees to pull her legs open. She let him do it, knowing that he knew what he was doing. She didn't want to, but she broke away from the kiss for a breath, moments before it was stolen from her. His fingers moved rhythmically over her upper, inner thigh, mere inches away from her core, and the light touch sending electric signals of stimulation through her.

By the time he decided that he was going to move his hand up, she had just managed to take a breath. She let out a small cry as his thumb slid its way through her folds, traveling up until he found that small bundle of nerves. He circled it for a moment, before lightly flicking his thumb over it, noticing the way she tensed. His fingers slid down and before she could object, two of them pushed their way into her. She let out a half moan, half cry, arching her back as he slowly thrusted them in and out of her.

It took a few minutes of this, coupled with his thumb moving on her clit for her to finally get release. She let out a cry of his name, her back arching to a high degree as she came. He smiled before pushing himself between her legs. He placed a few kisses along her collarbones, not seeming to be in much of a hurry as he waited for her to calm. When she finally opened her eyes, he had moved on, his mouth now making its way down until his tongue slid softly over her nipple. She moaned lightly and his lips closed around it before he began sucking softly, his hand moving to softly roll the other one between his fingers. Truth be told, he wasn't used to moving quite this slow, usually by now, about fifteen or twenty minutes into it he would be finished and his partner for the night would be getting dressed to leave.

One of Hermione's hands moved over his back, coming to a rest on his shoulder blade, her fingers digging lightly into his skin. When he tired of what he was doing, he moved back up, his silvery eyes locking with the soft brown ones below. She nodded, and he lifted his weight, resting on his elbows before lining up and grabbing hold of one of her hips to hold her still.

"It's going to hurt." he said softly.

She just nodded again and he moved against her experimentally, surprised at how little give there was. "It's going to hurt a lot." he breathed, leaning down to press a kiss against the side of her neck as he slowly pushed forward.

At first she let out a gasp, and then the gasp turned to a cry, and finally a near scream as he broke through her hymen. He covered her mouth with his free hand, his head tilted down and his eyes shut tightly. She was breathing hard and from the irregularity he could tell that she was also crying. He may have gone slowly, but it was still too fast...

Her nails were digging into his shoulder, but he didn't mention it, he just went through it, knowing that her pain was much greater than he could ever imagine. He placed a kiss on her shoulder before lifting his head to look down at her, uncovering her mouth. Her cries had stopped, but there was still the softest sound emitting from her with each breath. He wasn't sure how long it had been, or how long it would take, but he would wait, no matter how exquisitely torturous the heat and tightness was.

She finally calmed, and as the pain ebbed, she nodded for him to continue. He was prepared to wait longer, but she wrapped her legs around him, pushing him onward.

He pulled out a bit and thrust back in, seeing she closes her eyes and turns away. "We can stop." he said.

"It's too late." she breathed. "Just do it."

He frowned, but continued anyways, being as gentle as humanly possible. After a while it seemed that she was adjusting, her body was no longer clenching around him trying to push him out, and after a few thrusts, and she finally let out a sound of pleasure. He looked down at her, seeing that finally this seemed to be going right.

She tilted her head back with a small humming noise, and Draco seriously hoped she wasn't faking for him. Her legs tightened around him, and he had to lean down to hear exactly what she was saying, no, begging, pleading. He quickened his pace just slightly, and she once again let out a small cry, her eyes drifting closed. He tried his best to be gentle, but no matter how much discipline or self-control you have, you'll lose it at least once. He placed a kiss on her lips moments before she came again. He was surprised that she could after all the pain she had endured, but the bit of pleasure she had managed to get seemed to be enough. She arched into him, breaking away from the kiss to let out a shout of his name. He followed her to oblivion swiftly, tossing his head back as his hands tightened on her hips enough to make bruises.

It took them both a while, but they finally calmed and Draco pulled out and away from her, flopping onto his back on the bed. He looked down. The rumours were right; there was blood, and a lot of it.

He sat up, grabbing his wand to clean up before pulling on his boxers and the pair of sweat pants he'd had on before. He cast a scourgify spell on the bed and on Hermione, watching as the mess disappeared. She sat up with difficulty, looking around for something. Draco sat beside her, pushing her back to lay flat before trailing his wand over her lower stomach in small circles, using the charm meant to prevent pregnancy. He went into the bathroom, getting her bed clothes and helping her dress before laying her down on the bed, under the covers, crawling in beside her.

"I love you." he said softly.

She smiled. "I love you too."

-

The next morning was torture, for both of them. Hermione didn't want to get up; the ache that she felt in her lower stomach was enough to prevent her from sitting up. Draco on the other hand felt guilty because of her pain; because he knew that it was his fault.

He stood from the bed, leaning down over her to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" he questioned. "I'm sure Madame Pomfrey will give you something for the pain."

Hermione just shook her head. "No, I'm okay, I'll be fine." she replied, trying to push herself up.

Draco reached out instinctively as Hermione let out a cry and fell back onto the bed. "On second thought, please." she said, sounding slightly breathless.

He flipped the covers back, sliding his arm under her knees and back, picking her up easily. She wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her eyes tightly as the movement caused more pain. He carried her out of the portrait door and down the hall, heading toward the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey looked up from some papers as they entered, her eyes growing wide as she saw them. "What in the world happened?" she gasped, jumping to her feet and rushing over to them.

Hermione blushed, turning away, and Draco half smiled. "She's just got some pains." he replied, his voice steady.

"What kind of pains?" the nurse questioned as Draco placed Hermione on the bed.

Draco placed his hand on Madame Pomfrey's shoulder, and she followed him a few meters away. "She's not going to like me telling you this, but the pain is from..."

"From what my boy?"

"From losing her virginity..."

Madame Pomfrey's eyes widened. "Oh, well then, that will take a much different kind and dosage of pain medication, it was very mature of you to tell me." she said, her tone quite business-like, even though she was surprised.

She went over to a cupboard and took down a small purple bottle, twisting the cap off and pouring exactly two thirds of it into a cup, bringing it over to Hermione. "Here, drink this; it'll make you feel better."

Hermione took it, looking at it warily, before downing it. She was surprised though, when instead of the normal disgusting bitterness of normal pain medication, the taste was sweet, almost syrupy. She lay back on the bed as Madame Pomfrey instructed and felt the medication begin to work; curing all of the aches and making the pain disappear. Pomfrey gave her another two bottles, telling her to take one at lunch and the other at supper and the pain would be gone the next day.

Hermione took them, putting them safely in her book bag before standing from the bed realizing finally that she was dressed in nothing but her sleeping clothes. "What day is it?" she questioned, horrified that she may be late for class if she went to change.

"It's Saturday love." Draco said with a smile. "Not to worry, you're not the only one that's going to be walking around in your pyjamas."

She blushed slightly, but didn't bother to argue as he took her hand and led her to the great hall. They were either of the first or the last to get there, because there were very few people there when they arrived.

Draco waved at his mother as she stood and walked down the steps toward them. She smiled and drew him into an embrace when she got near enough before looking at Hermione. Something passed through her eyes, and somehow Hermione just knew that Narcissa knew what had transpired last night. She blushed and turned away.

**End Chapter One**


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